


The Moment I knew

by StepTowardsTheLight



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Dumbledore saves them, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Forbidden Love, Hogwarts Era, Hogwarts Seventh Year, Minor Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Ron Weasley Bashing, Room of Requirement Shenanigans, Smut, ron loves quidditch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:34:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24295927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StepTowardsTheLight/pseuds/StepTowardsTheLight
Summary: Ron forgets his promise to spend the eve of Hermione's 17th birthday with her, leaving her sitting outside the Room of Requirement while he plays Quidditch. Draco Malfoy finds her, taking her fragile emotions as too perfect of an opportunity to miss. Somehow, despite his intentions to exploit her vulnerability, he ends up consoling her.What if he's meant to be more than just her sworn enemy?
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 36
Kudos: 425





	1. The one thing missing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've just finished my undergraduate degree and I have around 3 months before I start my postgraduate so I'm trying to finish all of the fics that I've had in my drafts. None of this is edited or beta-d really and, having just written a dissertation I don't have much patience for editing so I'm sorry for any errors that have been made. This is really just a bit of fun for me, an effort to get this out of my system before I have to go into the real adult world.
> 
> Also, I know in the actual Harry Potter-verse that Hermione's birthday is early September, for the sake of this fic please imagine her birthday is actually just before Halloween. Also this is set post order of the phoenix (sixth year) and so she'll have turned 16 which is legal in the UK so this is NOT an underage fic.

_**And it was like slow motion  
Standing there in my party dress  
In red lipstick  
With no one to impress  
And they're all laughing  
As I'm looking around the room  
But there was one thing missing  
And that was the moment I knew** _

**_\-----Taylor Swift- The Moment I Knew-----_ **

If you asked Hermione Granger to describe herself you would be presented with a long list of adjectives, even if you were only after one. She was smart, loyal, brave, strong, devoted, kind, dedicated, focused, resilient etc. There was no way she would reduce herself just to appease someone else, no matter how mundane the reason for demanding her self-analysis. Similarly, there were a few ways that she would never choose to describe herself. For one, Hermione Granger was nobodies fool. Her wit rarely failed her and she prided her ability to see through attempts at deception. 

Or at least, that's what she had thought.

Now, sitting on the cold, stone floor outside of the Room of Requirement, dressed in a gown that had cost a good chunk of her birthday money with her makeup done and her hair tamed she would definitely describe herself as a fool.

She was a fool for hoping Ron would ever put her before Quidditch practice when his heart quite clearly belonged to his broomstick.

She sighed heavily, arms wrapped tightly around her waist in an effort to keep warm. Perhaps another flaw of hers was how stubborn she could be. She was far too stubborn to return to the common room and admit defeat, not able to bear the thought of Ron seeing her in such a state But, she was too upset to go into the warmth of the room that would undoubtedly shift to try and console her. She didn't feel like forgetting her anger and sadness just yet. She'd imagined this to be the perfect night. She would have dazzled Ron in her expensive gown, with her red-lipstick smile and her hair that had taken an hour to smooth, they would have danced around a room suited to both of their desires, they would have gone to bed together with giddy smiles and racing hearts. All he'd had to do was show up. To be there on time. And yet still, here she was.

It felt as though even the portraits were laughing at her.

"Happy fucking birthday Hermione." She muttered, hands balling up the skirt of her dress. It was hard to care about the expensive fabric when she no longer had anyone to impress. A little chuckle left her lips as she rubbed her eyes, fingers coming back black from the mascara smeared down her cheeks. How pathetic was she, in such a state over a boy? A stupid boy. Her mother would definitely not approve.

"You know, when people start talking to themselves they generally end up in St Mungo's." A voice penetrated the silence around her, causing her to jump up. A small part of her longed to see Ron, standing there in the dress shirt she'd told him to wear. As she looked in the direction of the voice the hope in her crumbled once more.

"Malfoy." Of course, it had to be Malfoy. She couldn't manage a sneer, not with tears falling from her eyes so thickly and her heart in pieces. Self consciously she smoothed out her dress, biting her lip when she saw how crumpled the satin actually was. 

"Finally come to terms with your blood status?" He quipped, his joy at catching her like this practically dripping from his voice. Part of her wanted to stand up, to take her anger at Ron out on him but the other part was too tired, too cold and too humiliated to even try. She stayed silent, ignoring the sound of his shoes on the stone that suggested he was walking closer. "It's decidedly less fun when you don't respond you know?" He sneered once more, stepping ever closer. "Let me guess did the Weasel stand you up? Were you going to further befoul his family name by getting knocked up with his half-blood child?" Rhetorical questions intended to rile her up fired out of his mouth. As much as she tried to tell herself to hold it in, to not show any response to his cruel jibes, she couldn't hold back a loud sob at the mention of Ron's surname.

"That's none of your business Malfoy, what the hell are you doing here anyway?" She spat venomously, wiping her eyes furiously in an attempt to recover her dignity, looking him in the eye for the first time. For a second he looked close to alarmed but he managed to return to his cool indifference almost the moment she noticed his eyes carried anything but hatred.

"I'm on Prefects duty and, as you're not, you're out of bed after hours." He returned, glaring as if she had no right to question him. "Currently considering paying McGonagall a visit if I'm honest." For the first time, his voice lost its cool edge, feigning playfulness. She readied herself to call him every name under the sun but the second she opened her mouth she found herself unable to speak. Ron was going to pay for reducing her to such a mess.

"I'll go to bed soon, just leave me alone, please." At least he had the decency to look surprised at her begging, a frown spreading across his face as he crouched down to her level.

"And why should I, Mudblood?" His tone was soft considering the words that had actually left his mouth. But, at that moment the word for her blood status was the least of her concerns. All she wanted was to be alone again to wallow in her self-pity.

"It's my birthday." Was the only response she could give, looking him in the eye in an effort to convey her desperation. A low whistle left his lips and almost instantly she regretted leaving herself vulnerable like that.

"We'll make a Slytherin of him yet" He sounded relatively impressed and Hermione found her fists clenching tighter, scrunching the fine satin she still held in her palms. She was an idiot to think he could ever be anything but mocking when her weaknesses were laid out so openly. "I swear to God Granger if you punch me again it'll be the last thing you do." Draco had noticed her fists, holding his hands up in surrender.

"If you don't leave me alone I might do just that." She snapped back. Surprisingly enough he smiled in response.

"It really is much better when you fight back." He said contently, feigning admiration so dramatically a British Christmas pantomime would have been proud. She frowned as she watched him move to sit cross-legged on the stone before her, biting back her groan of protest. Clearly, resistance was what he wanted from her.

"Don't you have a castle to patrol?" She spoke, growing exasperated by his intrusion. She couldn't remember the last time they'd exchanged more than a couple of insults, why did he have to choose now to strike up a conversation?

"I do, yes. But I can hardly leave Gryfinndor's golden girl in such a state, can I? Your fan club would _crucio_ me if they found out." He spoke as if she was thick as if it was abundantly obvious and she just needed to be persuaded of it. For a moment, just a moment she was convinced that it really was that simple but she blamed her current state of vulnerability for such gullibility.

"What do you actually want from me?" Her voice was as small as she felt and she did her best to avoid looking at him again. There was a pause, as though he himself wasn't sure of what he wanted out of this.

"I want a lot of things. I wanted to discover why you were sat in the open blubbering so obnoxiously for blackmail reasons mostly but, I have to admit I did consider attempting to take advantage of the fact your guard is obviously down right now to try to learn what I could about your stupid trio" The pause didn't last long and Draco almost managed to convince her of his intentions. Almost. She let herself sigh, again, something that was fast becoming a habit of hers.

"Well, you know why I've been sat 'blubbering 'as you call it" She sighed, her eyebrow raised slowly, as she looked across at him. "And you're quite mistaken if you think I'm going to give you information to pass on to the Dark Lord just because my boyf- Ron stood me up." Who did he take her for? He rolled his eyes.

"For one, you wouldn't have to give me any information, occulmency exists you know? And, secondly, I really don't get your attraction to him." His tone was harsh again. "The guy's a joke, even before you consider the fact that he's a Weasley and from what I've seen he doesn't give a shit about you really." She felt her bottom lip wobble as he spoke, focusing intently on the tiled floor beneath her. "He really does seem to prefer Quidditch I th-" He stopped abruptly as she burst into a fresh round of loud sobs, looking at her as if she'd just sprouted horns.

"You really are intent on taking all of the fun out of this aren't you?" Eventually, he found his voice again but his tone was soft, bordering on gentle. To her great surprise, he reached forward and carefully wiped away her fresh tears. She felt herself tense despite the gentle nature of the action, half expecting a slap as his hand lingered on her cheek for just a second. There was silence between them, neither one of them moving a muscle, entirely caught in the moment. Hermione was the first to react, moving forward almost in slow motion and resting her head on his shoulder, half throwing herself into his chest. Fuck it. What did she have left to lose now? Her dignity was already in pieces and she just needed his touch, his warmth. He flinched and tensed almost immediately, having not expected her to go so far as to hug him. Eventually, she back, his rigidity a sure sign that she'd pushed the boundary too far. She kept her head down, feeling more of a fool than she had before. Subconsciously, as if trying to reassure him that she wasn't about to throw herself at him again she shuffled back a couple of paces so her back was pressed straight against the cold, stone wall, hoping to Merlin that he wouldn't hex her for her actions.

"Pretend I never did that." She muttered cheeks flushed as red as the lipstick she wore. For a moment he looked torn, lip curled in what she presumed to be disgust but eyes wide with something else, something she couldn't quite read. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to figure it out, deliberately looking at the floor to avoid direct eye contact. A heavy silence worked its way between them, neither sure of what to say and where they stood. "I'm s-" She began but her words were cut-off by her shock as Draco moved forwards, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer to him. Fuck. The silence thickened as she moved so they were chest to chest, almost certain he could feel the rapid thrum of her heartbeat against his ribs.

"We can't get caught like this." He muttered, after what felt like an age of them sitting like that, his lips so close to her ear she couldn't help but shudder. Reluctantly she pulled back, rejected for the second time that night. She tried not to dwell on the slight disappointment that ebbed through her chest when they were no longer touching, after all, he was right, they couldn't afford to be caught. 

"Why don't we go into the room?" A dangerous question. A loaded gun. A pointed wand. 

She wasn't an idiot.

Going into the room would lead to more than cuddling, changing everything between her and him whilst simultaneously changing things between her and Ron. It had real disaster potential but she couldn't bring herself to refuse. The possibility of finally figuring out the one person she had ever truly hated was just too enticing, drawing her in and forcing her to nod her head in answer to his question.

"Ok." She breathed, not sure how she managed to find her voice.

\- - - - - -

He nodded also, not seeming at all surprised that she had agreed. The git knew the effect he had on women though, many girls had probably been drawn to him in the same sort of way. They stood to face the wall, an action that prompted a door to appear on the stone surface. The speed at which it appeared indicated that they both needed the same thing, although Hermione had no idea what this was. Draco went first, seemingly not phased by the ramifications of what they were doing and managing still to oose a degree of confidence. She followed on wobbly legs, trying to calm her ragged breaths and set an even pace. Oddly conscious of every move she just about managed to bite back laughter as she took in the room that had been produced. Her presumption that his suggestion to enter the room was a guise, glossing over his intentions in an exceptionally unconvincing way was proven to be accurate instantly. Its furniture was sparse, something that exaggerated the four-postered, king-sized, centrepiece of the room. Covered in grey satin sheets with fine gauzy curtains drawn around it the large looked...well, magical-beautiful even. For a moment her heart ached, it was exactly what she had imagined would appear when she decided, finally, to let Ron take her to bed. But Ron wasn't here and it didn't take a genius to know sleeping with Draco here wouldn't have the same significance. However, despite lacking the emotion she'd imagined her first time would carry she couldn't deny she wanted to put the bed to use. And, judging by the way Draco had sauntered right over to it he did too.

"You don't have to stand by the doorway you know?" For the first time, a hint of uncertainty had crept into his voice, his grey eyes locked on her as if attempting to perform occlumency. She was good at making her thoughts impenetrable but at that moment she didn't bother to put up any barriers. Anything he needed to know could be found out just by looking at her face anyway.

"I know." She responded after a pause, taking a deep breath and walking over where he stood. Her legs stopped trembling as she reached her destination, standing just a step away from him. This had been his idea, she wasn't going to be the one to close the distance. After what felt like an age he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her waist just as he had out in the corridor. His hands held the small of her back, long fingers splayed, almost covering her entire waist. It was oddly intimate, oddly perfect and she allowed her arms to move to his shoulders, head resting on his strong chest. Ron may have played Quidditch but he didn't put any effort into maintaining the physique of a Quidditch player, Draco clearly did and, for the first time, the worry in her stomach gave way to slight arousal. It made her knees weak once more, something Draco must have noticed, before she could realise what was happening he had moved them closer to the bed and sat down, dragging her with him. Her chest tightened but she made no effort to stand up again, clinging to him tightly and allowing herself to be moved into his lap.

"Granger is this ok?" His voice was soft, lips just grazing the outer shell of her ear. A shiver ran down her spine.

"If we're going to do...this." She mimicked his gentle tone, moving her head so she could look him in the eye. "Then you're going to call me Hermione and I'm going to call you Draco." He raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth turning up into a smirk.

"Normally I'm the one giving orders." A breath caught in her throat as he moved a hand to push her hair off of her shoulders. "But I suppose I can obey that one wish...Hermione." It was as though him saying her name cast a spell between them, she found herself leaning forwards, catching his lips with hers, completely enchanted. The grip he had on her waist tightened as he lay back, pulling her with him as immediately the kiss became heated. Of course, she'd kissed Ron but never with as much...passion as this. All their years of antagonising each other, of hating the floor the other walked on seemed to be fuelling some sort of spark between them. She should have been desperate to pull away but instead, she found herself straddling his hips in an effort to get more comfortable. This was forbidden, entirely taboo, something neither of them should have even considered doing and that just made it so much better, so much more thrilling. After a moment that felt like an age, he pulled back, looking up at her with eyes the perfect mixture of lust and hatred. "Take your dress off now Hermione." He commanded. She felt herself frown.

"B-" She opened her mouth to protest, to ask him who the fuck he thought he was telling her what to do like that but she was stopped by the look in his eyes.

"I won't ask again, Hermione." He warned, hands straying from her waist, roaming over her body. "Undress, now." His tone was firm but lacked its familiar sneer as he gently pushed him off of her. She nodded, looking him straight in the eye and hoping that was enough to reassure him that she wanted this, she liked it, needed it even, despite not being sure of what this actually was. His commanding approach was the perfect contrast to how she'd imagined Ron would take her, the exact opposite of everything she thought she wanted and she most definitely needed the distraction said contrast brought. Carefully she stood up, almost not daring to blink as she undid the zipper that ran down the side of the gown. "Take off your shoes afterwards." She nodded to acknowledge his command, pushing the silk straps off of her shoulders, allowing the dress to fall to a pool of satin and tulle at her feet. Once it was off, cheeks burning from the extent of her exposure she bent at the waist to undo the straps of her shoes, slipping them off before standing to face him.

"Is that all?" His eyebrow raised instantly as he knelt up on the bed ** _,_** hands moving to grip her by her naked waist. Considering all the quidditch he played they were surprisingly smooth, yet another contrast between him and Ron whose fingers were calloused and rough. She blinked, meeting his eyes and trying to seem calm as if his words hadn't just made her heart speed up.

"I was hoping you'd take the rest off of me." She just about managed to breathe out. The words had their intended effect as a soft, possessive sort of groan left his lips as he pulled her by her waist back to the bed, kneeling back so she ended up in his lap once more.

"Is that so?" His lips found her ear, brushing her skin ever so slightly in a way that made her shudder. Silently she nodded her head yes, feeling her face heat up as his hands then moved up her back, unclasping her bra. The fabric slid off of her shoulders, exposing her breasts entirely to him. For a fleeting moment she wanted to cover up, to pull back and stop this going any further but then he moved his hands once more, brushing a thumb over each of her nipples. Again she threw caution to the wind, moving a hand to his chin to tilt his head up enough to press her lips to his. The kiss was short, interrupted by him pulling back, a look of faint amusement on his face. "I thought we agreed you'd follow my instruction? Did I ask you to do that?" His tone sent another shiver down her spine and set off a flurry of butterflies in her stomach.

"No." She replied, doing her best to look somewhat apologetic. He just grinned, holding her chin to prevent her from looking away.

"You're lucky it's your first time." He drawled, holding her body flush to his. She blinked rapidly in an effort to break the intense eye contact, mind reeling as she tried to process both his words and how physically close they were.

"Please." She found herself mumbling, not quite sure what she was asking for but not really caring either. For some reason, at that moment, she trusted Draco entirely. It wasn't just because he was clearly more experienced than she was either, something had shifted in the air between them. 

"Take those knickers off." His teeth nipped at her bottom lip as the hand that had held her hip grazed over the waistband of her knickers. And undress me, quickly." She nodded and moved out of his lap, slipping off her knickers obediently before turning to face him, hands moving straight to his robes to slip them off his shoulders. At that moment all the nerves seemed to hit her at once and she found herself stopping, looking him in the eye with her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Draco I..." She trailed off, looking away quickly. "What will this make us?" He blinked, hands moving to hold her waist in a way that made her heart flutter.

"I don't know." Was his reply, expression more open than she'd ever seen it. "I guess we have to go back to normal when we leave the room but that's not to say we can't try to be something else in the room after this." Silently she moved her hands back to the buttons of his shirt, undoing them as she considered what he'd just said. The gravity of what they were doing hit her like a truck.

"Promise me this isn't a trick." She breathed, pulling the thin fabric off of his shoulders and once again making eye contact. If he lied to her she'd realise, she wasn't stupid, years of Harry's paranoid ramblings about the blonde had made her rather aware of Malfoy's mannerisms and so she was confident she would catch him out. 

"Hermione." He spoke so softly it surprised her, grip on her waist tightening slightly. Part of her wanted his fingers to leave bruises so she would have some evidence that this really happened. "I'm not going to use this, whatever this is, against you. Mostly out of fear for my own image, I can't lie there, but partly because I want this too, I can't exploit what I also desire." His answer left her sated and she let on hand trail down the expanse of his bare chest, feeling the muscles twitch ever so slightly at the barely-there pressure she applied. 

"Good." Was her answer as the same hand reached the top of his trousers, carefully undoing the button and pulling down the zipper. "Because I could take you in any duel." To her surprise, he actually laughed, a smile on his face unlike one she'd ever seen.

"I'll bet you could now stop being a little tease." It was hard to fight the grin that threatened to take over her expression. She managed a quick nod, pushing his trousers down as much as she could before he lifted his hips and removed them. 

"I don't know what to do from here." Suddenly she was out of her comfort zone. With her being away from her parents for so much of the year she'd never really been given the talk and Hogwarts sex-ed policy was completely non-existent. Although she'd figured a lot out herself she was still, well, a total virgin. Everything she'd done with Draco up to this point had felt so easy, so perfect, but with her in the lead everything was unsure. 

"Lay down. I'll take it from here" She did as she was told, although the rough commands and slaps had intrigued her, she was grateful for the more gentle approach. She watched him curiously as he moved down the bed, his hands grasped at her thighs, squeezing them just a little before parting them. It felt strange to have someone so close to her most intimate area but she fought the urge to squirm away, allowing herself to put some trust in him. Again she was surprised at how easy it was to do so, despite everything that had gone on between them. "Let me know if you want me to stop." He said carefully before kneeling forwards, pressing soft kisses to her clit. The barely-there pressure seemed to ripple through her body, causing one of her thighs to quiver.

"Oh." She managed to gasp out, closing her eyes as he head fell back and he continued with more enthusiasm, licking at her in tiny circles, alternating the pressure that he applied. Of course, she'd known he'd have experience but she was seriously impressed with how quickly he had her going. She ran a hand through his hair, grasping at it slightly as he grew messier with his movements, licking and sucking as though he depended on it. The tug to his hair caused him to moan, causing a smile to spread over her face as she repeated the action. The smile soon vanished, however, as her lips fell into an o shape, he'd replaced his tongue with his fingers, applying more pressure and moving in faster circles. It had her hips lifting off of the bed, eyes rolled back as she moaned more than she ever thought she'd feel comfortable doing in front of someone else. "Fuck Draco." She whined, hands straying from his hair to the bed sheets, grasping them tightly in her fists. For the first time in a long time, she felt herself give up her outer image entirely, not caring what the man between her thighs thought of her. His fingers circled her clit, movements slowing as he increased the pressure, he was trying to figure out what she liked the most, alternating between slow and fast, light and gentle. It was the first time any man had truly put in the effort to please her and, that thought, combined with the immensely pleasurable sensation of his actions had her crying out again, hips jutting up, hands pulling at the bed sheets as her back arched. Her first orgasm at the hands of another.

"Wow." She heard Draco mutter, his hands moving to grasp her hips, a gesture that made her feel impossibly small and surprisingly safe. She felt herself blush a furious red, more embarrassed by the awe in his voice than she'd been to have his head between her thighs. In an effort to regain some control she shifted up onto her elbows, mimicking his trademark smirk as best she could. 

"Is that all you've got?" She was proud of her ability to sound challenging, grinning despite herself as he rolled his eyes at her.

"You shouldn't test me 'Mione" He teased right back. For some reason his use of her well-known nickname had her sitting up, kneeling opposite him and raising a hand to his cheek. His skin was soft under her fingertips, not chapped and rough from the wind Quidditch players were exposed to. She moved closer, slowly, feeling almost as if sudden movements would scare the moment away, pressing her lips to the shell of his ear. 

"I think you should show me what the consequences are." She whispered, hoping to Merlin that the words had their desired effect. His grip on her hips tightened and she found herself being moved slowly back onto her back. 

"Ok." He replied, also whispering, doing his best to sound as nonchalant as possible. He placed a quick kiss to her neck before sitting up, reaching for his wand. "I'm going to cast a quick contraceptive spell, is that ok?" She had to bite her lip to stop from giggling. Had she been in this situation with Ron she wouldn't have let him even attempt spells like that, not when her body could be permanently altered and yet she trusted Malfoy entirely to do it. As if he hadn't, until that night, been a fierce rival, someone she would never put any sort of faith in. 

"Of course." She replied quickly upon realising that she hadn't actually given him an answer, just laying there with some silly grin on her face. He gave her a soft smile, brushing her cheek with his hand tenderly before muttering the correct incantation. It felt good, to be able to put her trust in someone for once without having to worry about the consequences. After the charms were cast Draco settled himself between her thighs, one hand holding her hip the other holding himself. For a moment, she was nervous, noting how large he was for the first time and he seemed to sense it, pressing a quick peck to her lips, another gesture that seemed too gentle in the context of their relationship. 

"Don't worry. I promise you it won't hurt." He said softly. She nodded, the air thick between them as he lined himself up to her and slowly pushed in. Her hands moved to grip his sides tightly as she closed her eyes tight. It didn't hurt so much as it felt uncomfortable, she was full in a way she hadn't been before and it created a dull sort of throb in her stomach. Draco seemed to sense her need to adjust, reaching a hand to brush through her hair. She was sure the sleeking spell she'd cast on it earlier had worn off but she couldn't bring herself to care. 

"It's ok, I think you can move." She whispered after a moment, breaking the silence that had fallen. Draco looked at her, for a moment an expression appeared on his face that she couldn't quite read but it disappeared soon enough, lust clouding his eyes once more. His hands rubbed her hips gently before his hips started to move, thrusting himself into her slowly. She'd never felt anything like it, unable to control the way her head tipped back, biting her lip softly. "Fuck Draco." She panted out, nails digging into his skin as she held him close. Of course, she'd expected sex to feel good but there was something about this that was just...magical, much more intimate and meaningful than sex with a sworn enemy should be. 

"Stop overthinking." He whispered against her ear, moving a hand from her waist to stroke her hair off of her face. "Just relax." She managed a nod, blushing furiously as she met his gaze. There was a knowing smirk on her face, something that made her smile for a reason she couldn't quite put her finger on. He leaned forward again, kissing her neck tenderly as his thrusts sped up, hands once more holding her hips down. She couldn't hold back her loud moans, doing as she was told for once and letting herself just relax into what he was doing. 

"Fuck Draco." She managed to gasp out, back arching as he slowed back down. The slowness and care he was putting into his actions had every bit of her tingling, stomach twisting in the best possible way. "Keep doing that." He chuckled.

"Ok, bossy." He quipped, voice raspy. There was something about the way his voice sounded that caused her stomach to twinge, a flush of warmth ran through her body. She could honestly say this was a moment she wanted to last forever. Draco moved one hand to push her hair out of her face, kissing her cheek gently as he carried on at the same pace. His cheeks were flushed slightly pink, his hair considerably more dishevelled than usual and he was smiling in a way she hadn't thought he could. 

"You're beautiful." She breathed out, barely even a whisper, clinging to him as tightly as possible. 

"As are you." He responded, his affection surprising her again. If this hadn't felt so incredibly real she would have sworn she was dreaming. As he slowed his movements further, focusing on bringing her to the edge, the hand that was holding her hair moved between her legs, resting over her clit and making the same circular movements he had been before. That was enough for her. A shockwave ran through her body, causing her hips to jitter and a cry to leave her lips that were unlike any sound she had made before. It felt electric. He continued to touch her softly as she caught her breath before his actions sped up, clearly chasing his own climax. Just seconds after she reached her point of bliss he followed behind, all but falling onto her chest in the process of her doing so. They stayed like that, connected, for a while, just embracing. It felt almost as good as the sex to feel his weight against hers, hear him trying to catch his breath. 

"Draco?" She whispered after what felt like an age. "Will this happen again?" He sat up slowly, moving out of her and rolling onto his back, he sighed deeply before he pulled her close to his side in a sort of one-armed hug.

"I want it to." He spoke with nothing but honesty in his lips. "But it's dangerous, not just because people will talk. We'd have to be so careful" She nodded. The order certainly would think less of her if they found out and she could imagine Draco's side would be must less forgiving. "I don't think we can say it can continue so long as we don't develop feelings because well....you know how that felt but we have to be careful." He repeated himself, as though reassuring himself that it was possible to make whatever they had just stumbled upon work. She lifted herself so she was hovering over him and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips.

"Careful" She agreed before slipping off of the bed, reaching for her clothes. "I'm assuming we go back to normal outside of this room?" It wasn't really a question. She knew the answer.

"Yeah." Came Dracos muttered reply, she felt the bed move indicating he too was getting dressed. It was hard to ignore the slight reluctance in his voice. "And, Hermione? For what it's worth, you deserve better than Ron. I'm not saying that better is me but...don't accept him back easily yeah? I think I'd have to make him eat slugs again." She smiled to herself as she stood, pulling up her knickers and zipping up her dress. She cast a quick spell over herself to straighten up her appearance, knowing she likely looked more than a little bit dishevelled. 

"Goodnight Draco." She whispered, turning back to give him a small smile. He returned it, coming around to her side of the bed and pulling her into a tight hug. It was strange, how easily they'd gone from enemies to...whatever this was. 

"Goodnight Hermione" He breathed against her ear, kissing her cheek before letting her go. As she walked out she didn't let herself look behind her, too conscious of the fact that if she did she would likely be pulled back towards him. 

\- - - - - - 

She couldn't shake the smile from her face as she crept back towards the dorms as stealthily as she could manage. Thoughts of Ron, and the pain she now associated with him, had almost been fucked from her mind but unfortunately, they came creeping back as she slipped through the dark corridors. She swallowed the sadness down, glad she'd had the foresight to charm her appearance before she left. She'd be damned if he saw any sign of her previous grief. It took her a moment longer than usual to whisper the password to the portrait of the fat lady, needing a second to collect her thoughts and her breath. The portrait was uncharacteristically quiet, giving Hermione a small encouraging smile as she stepped through the doorway. Hermione ignored it pointedly. She would not take pity from paintings.

To her displeasure, the common room was still busy. Most of the arm chairs were full, Fred and George were throwing around one of their smaller fireworks to the amusement of a group of first years. Harry and Ron were laughing over something, sat in the centre of the room by the fireplace, still dressed in their quidditch gear. Despite her rage, she made no effort to draw attention to herself, watching as Ron joked around, allowing him just a few moments of blissful ignorance.

"Hermione?" Ginny's voice and cautious tone snapped Hermione out of her trance. The red-haired girl sat a little distance away from the main group, playing a game of wizards chess with Nevill but her announcement and her tone caught the attention of most of the room. 

"'Mio-" Ron began, tone cheery as he turned to face the entrance, evidently expecting her to come running towards him. The smile disappeared from his voice the moment he saw her, mouth falling open in a way that was almost comical. The look of shock he wore had Harry turning too and soon, most of the eyes in the room were on her. "Wha-" Ron attempted but with a swish of Hermione's wand, he fell silent once more, mouth opening and closing but incapable of making a sound.

"Don't even try to explain yourself out of this one Ronald." Her voice was shrill, wand still held tightly in her hand as she stepped forward into the room, ready to give him hell. "It's my birthday, my fucking birthday and you still couldn't put me over Quidditch. I arranged my own surprise because I knew you wouldn't do shit, I brought a fancy fucking dress, I smoothed my hair the way you like it, I was ready to fucking bend over for you." She snarled, watching as the red-haired boy paled dramatically. "All you had to do was turn up to the fucking room of requirement and you couldn't even manage that!" Her silencing spell wore off, her anger distracting her from her magic.

"Hermi-" He began but she cut him off once more with a frustrated scream. 

"Don't." She commanded, exhaling sharply. "Don't even fucking bother. We are done Ronald Weasley, completely and utterly done. If you have even the slightest bit of common sense you'll stay the fuck away from me. I don't even want to look at you." She shook her head, ready to retreat to her dorm. It was getting harder and harder to maintain her composure. The majority of her peers maintained their stunned silence as she walked away however, Ron couldn't help himself. He had to open his stupid mouth. 

"Fucking crazy woman" He muttered under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear. In that moment she saw red, whirling around and pointing her wand directly at him. 

"Say. That. Again." She commanded, tone dripping with rage as she focused her energy on her silent spell. Ron's hands went to his throat, gasping at the uncomfortable sensation of her magic forcing his vocal cords to work.

"Fucking crazy woman." He repeated, eyes wide with shock as he spoke against his will. She smiled sweetly, crossing the room to where he was still sat and grabbing him by the front of his stupid fucking robes. Doing her best to block out the concerned voices of her friends she moved her lips to his ear.

"I am going to destroy you, Ronald." She breathed before dropping him, glaring at everyone who got in her way as she stormed back towards the staircase and retreated finally. 

Only when she had drawn the curtains around her four-poster bed did she finally relax. Her anger dissipated as she drifted into unconsciousness, dreaming dreams filled with silver-eyed serpents. 


	2. Enchanted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW:  
> \- Daddy kink  
> \- Face fucking
> 
> The smut scene is not integral to the storyline, If you don't like anything listed in the warnings you can skip the smut without missing anything.

_**Now I'm pacing back and forth, wishing you were at my door** _  
_**I'd open up and you would say, hey** _  
_**It was enchanting to meet you** _  
_**All I know is I was, enchanted to meet you** _

**\- - - Taylor Swift - Enchanted - - -**

Over the next few days, it became abundantly obvious to Hermione that her so-called friends had chosen to remain loyal to Ron. Every morning, at breakfast, she was met by their apprehensive stares and, most notably, no one approached her in the common room, begging for help with whatever essay they had left until the last possible moment. She walked to her classes alone, sat alone, studied alone and was treated as an intruder in her own dorm. 

Apparently, no matter how reasonable her rage had been, she had taken things too far by using magic on her former lover. 

Somehow, despite the fact other houses were picking up on her social exile, treating her with the same caution as her fellow Gryfinndor's, she couldn't bring herself to care. Although anger still ebbed through her veins and she was more than a little bit convinced that her isolation was rooted deeply in sexism, she was strangely content. It was nice to be able to focus solely on herself. She no longer had to dedicate her time to helping others study. She was no longer being roped into whatever plotting and scheming Harry was doing. Of course, she missed Harry more than she would care to admit but this wasn't going to break her. Plus, although Draco hadn't approached her since that night, the feeling she got on the odd occasion she caught his eye, was worth being shunned for. Of course, they avoided each others gazes as much as possible but, Hermione was quickly finding there was something incredibly magnetic about Dracos piercing stare. He had clearly picked up on the effect he was having, if his fleeting smirks, were anything to go off. 

"Granger." An all too familiar drawl startled her out of her daydream. She'd got to the potions corridor early, no longer having a reason to dawdle in the corridors between classes.

"I thought we agreed it was Hermione?" She spoke softly, quirking an eyebrow. He wouldn't have addressed her so confidently if they weren't alone. 

"How could I forget?" He stepped closer, forcing her to back up against the cold stone of the corridor. Her breath hitched as he moved again, hands resting on the wall either side of her head, caging her in. "Hermione" It was barely a whisper but fuck was it seductive. 

"That's better, Draco." She did her best to imitate his tone, tentatively moving her hands to his firm chest. His silver eyes flashed dark and before she could protest he was closing the gap between them, pressing their lips together. Hard. She gasped into his mouth as his knee forced its way between her thighs, pressing into her centre, pushing his body against hers.

"Prefects bathroom, tonight, 10pm. Wear something that'll impress me" He whispered against her ear after breaking the kiss as quickly as he began it, stepping away to an 'acceptable' distance. She just about managed to nod, hoping her face wasn't as red as it felt, her heart pounding in her chest. The sight, and sound, of Ron and Harry coming down the corridor had her biting back her witty response, sighing instead. Draco seemed to notice how her face fell, turning to face the two boys with his usual sneer.

"I heard you stood up the mud blood, Weasel." He stepped towards the two Gryfinndor's, head held high. Hermione's breath caught in her chest as Ron reached for his wand. Thankfully she was able to play this off as a reaction to Dracos use of the taboo word. "How's your mother taken the news that you won't be giving her a gaggle of blood traitor grandchildren anytime soon

"Drop it, Malfoy," Harry warned, stepping between the blonde and the redhead. Draco barely even reacted, raising an eyebrow at Harry's intervention. He whistled lowly.

"Weird how you're standing up for the Weasel, Potter. Surely Granger is the one deserving of support?" Harry at least had the decency to look sheepish as Draco taunted him but Hermione tried not to pay attention, feigning ignorance of the conversation going on beside her.

"It's none of your business, Malfoy." Ron snapped, face turning the same shade of red as his hair. Draco sneered, stepping away with his hands raised above his head in fake surrender. 

"Just saying, Weasley. I think even I'd rather stick it in the mud blood than remain a virgin forever." The second part of his taunt, added almost as if it was an afterthought, seemed to push Ron over the edge. The redhead drew his wand, opening his mouth to utter whatever curse had sprung to mind. Hermione cut him off with a wave of her own wand, silently disarming him. 

"I don't need defending, Malfoy." She muttered, stepping into the classroom. "But I'll keep that in mind if I get really desperate." 

\- - - - -

For the first time since her birthday, Hermione was sat in the common room, curled up in an armchair in one of the far corners and trying her hardest to focus on her transfiguration essay. She was nervous, chewing the end of her quill and shaking her leg subconsciously. Partially out of a desire to quell her nerves and partially to speed time up, She was officially no longer embracing her solitude. Sure, no one was pestering her or exploiting her hard work but, at least in the company of her former friends, she'd been more sure of herself. If she was helping them with their homework she'd be less able to dwell on the implications what she was about to do and had already done. Sleeping with Draco the first time had felt dangerous but preparing to do soo again felt like something she wouldn't be able to come back from. Of course, despite this, she had no intention of standing him up. She owed him one for comforting her in her moment of vulnerability and, she couldn't deny that she was longing to feel him touch her once more. Dying for it almost. Their encounter in the potions corridor had done nothing but reignite her desire, her need, to feel the pleasure he'd given her once more. 

"'Mione." She startled as someone broke the silence that surrounded her, dropping her quill and smudging ink over her otherwise pristine parchment.

"What?" She spoke harshly, vanishing the stain and setting her quill down before looking up at the man standing before her. Harry at least had the decency to look sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck like he always did when he felt awkward. 

"Look, I know what Ron did hurt you." He began, words careful and deliberate. He'd clearly rehearsed this multiple times before approaching her. "But he made an honest mistake. If you just apolog-"

"Harry." She cut him off before he could finish his sentence, doing her best to sound as bored as possible. "I am not going to apologise for my reaction. I've forgiven Ronald time and time again, I've given him chance after chance and this was the last straw. Quite frankly, I'd happily hex him again and, if that means losing your friendship then that's something I can live with because I'm not going back to being treated like a doormat." Content with Harry's shocked expression and flushed cheeks, she slammed her book shut, packed up her bag and strutted off towards her dorm.

It couldn't hurt to go down to the prefects' bathroom a little early anyway. 

Thankful that her dorm was empty she closed the curtains around her bed, reaching into her trunk for some of the items she'd purchased in preparation for the night she was supposed to spend with Ron. Last-minute she'd decided she didn't want to look too eager, too desperate to be taken to bed and went with a more innocent choice. She was glad she had. Draco had demanded she impressed him after all. Quickly she stripped out of her robes and slipped on the racy lingerie. The half cups of the blue lace bra accentuated the swell of her breasts. The satin ribbon of the matching panties wrapped around her waist twice, cinching her in with the bow in the back adding a playful touch. Her skin felt electric under the lace, arousal already evident by the peaks of her nipples. 

Yeah, it definitely couldn't hurt to be early. 

Quickly she slid her robes back on, fastening her prefects badge to the centre of her chest and tying her curly hair back. For some reason unknown to her, the fact no one knew what she was wearing under her robes turned her on even more. She bit back her smile as she left her room almost as quickly as she'd entered it, leaving the curtains drawn around her bed, knowing the other girls would likely just assume she'd retired early. No one interrupted her as she left the common room, despite the fact she was clearly breaking curfew. Clearly, no one fancied ending up with her wand pointed at them. Hexing Ron had definitely had some perks. Pointedly ignoring the fat ladies demands to know where she was going, she crept through the corridors slowly.

Her time in the golden trio, although apparently a waste, had at least taught her the art of sneaking around. 

\- - - - -

She'd expected to have to wait for Draco, counting on the idea of having some time to fill the baths and prepare herself. However, it was immediately clear that she'd underestimated how much he wanted this to happen again. To her surprise he was already sat on the edge of the giant bath, dressed in only his boxers, robes cast to the side and a couple of luxuriously thick white towels beside him. He didn't startle at the sound of her footsteps, turning around slowly and smiling as if he'd known it was her all along. Rationally she knew few others would be creeping around the bathrooms at night. 

"Mind sealing the door?" He spoke slowly, voice smooth like honey. It sent a shiver down her spine and she just about remembered to nod, muttering a couple of words. It was times like this when she was nothing but thankful for the privacy mechanisms that Hogwarts provided its female students with. As Draco had entered first he wouldn't be cast out but no other male would be able to enter the room so long as Hermione remained and they would be given a warning before any girl was allowed in also. "Now come here, Granger." Draco beckoned the moment he heard the lock mechanisms click into place.

"Hermione." She corrected, moving to his side and sitting down beside him rather unceremoniously. The bath was filled to the brim with pink water and bubbles, a slight sheen to the water indicating that he'd added one of the more luxurious bath oils. The smell of green apples and vanilla filled the air.

"I thought I told you to wear something surprising?" He spoke, looking her up and down in a manner she normally would have objected to. She rolled her eyes, taking his hand in hers and moving it to the buttons of her robes.

"I did." She said simply, watching as his eyes clouded with lust.

"Come here." He patted his knee and she found herself complying instantly, as though under the imperious curse. She straddled his lap, breath hitching as he held her waist. There was something so comforting about how large his hands felt on her narrow hips. "Are you going to undress for me, or should I give you a hand?" His warm breath against her ear sent a shiver down her spine.

"I think you should give me a hand, I did it myself last time. " She managed to reply, meeting his eyes and dragging her lip between his teeth. He groaned in a way that made Hermione feel much prouder than she should before easily moving her so she was laying on her back. She fought the urge to lick her lips as she watched the way his muscles stretched as he held himself up over her. 

"You have no idea what you do to me." He muttered, shaking his head in disbelief, pressing a bruising kiss to her lips before moving to her side, no longer hovering directly over her. Had his hands not have returned to the front of her robes she would have whined in protest at the loss of contact, loving the way he made her feel small. They remained in silence as he undid each button before pushing the robes off of her shoulders, lifting her off the floor tenderly so he could throw them to the side. Only once they were completely out of the way did he allow himself to look at her body, taking in the flush of pink across her chest, the way her raised nipples were only halfway covered by the tiny lace bra, the contrast of the small touches of satin with the lace that made up the majority of the set and the way the soft blue looked against her pale skin. "Fuck." He moaned, roughly pulling her into his lap. She smirked, rocking her hips down against his crotch, covered only by his black boxers.

"I have some idea." She breathed out, feeling his hardness press against her core. He shook his head, gripping her chin and forcing her to make eye contact with him.

"No teasing, princess." She whimpered out loud, core fluttering at the use of the pet name. Now it was his turn to smirk. "You like that?" He asked, leaning closer so his lips brushed hers as he spoke. She tried to press their lips together but the hand that had been holding her chin tangled itself in her ponytail, pulling her back. "Patience." He commanded. 

"Ok." She managed to croak out when he raised an eyebrow, signalling he'd expected a reply of some sorts. 

"Ok, what?" It was clear from the dark look in his eyes that he was challenging her, testing how far he could take this. Whatever this was. 

"Ok." She repeated simply, pressing herself closer against him despite the tug to her hair. "Daddy." The word was barely a whisper but, upon seeing the effect it had on the boy before her, she wanted to scream it from the rooftops. He moaned, loudly, before joining their lips together in a kiss that shouted that they were in too deep. It was way too passionate, way to emotive but she couldn't tear herself away from it. Draco was the one to move back first, licking over his now swollen lips and moving his nimble fingers to unclasp her bra, throwing it off in the same direction he'd tossed her robes. 

"Knickers off, now. You're going to get in the bath and suck my cock until I'm happy with you. If you do good then maybe, just maybe I'll fuck you." Fuck. Hermione made quick work her ribbons, shimmying out of the delicate fabric as quickly as she could. She made even quicker work of slipping into the bath, watching with wide eyes as Draco slipped his own underwear off and sat on the very edge of the pool. 

"I've never done this before." She admitted, somewhat nervously as she stepped between his thighs and sunk to her knees. The water close to the edge was shallow, reaching just above her nipples. She was eye level with his crotch now and couldn't help but lick her lips as he gripped his length in one hand and tangled his other into her hair.

"Even better. Lick it from bottom to top like a lolly, keep your eyes on me." She did as she was told slowly at first, letting herself adjust to the taste of his flesh beneath her tongue. "Now lick at the tip, baby." His ragged breath and fucked out voice filled her with confidence and so, after doing as she was told, kitten licking at him, savouring his taste, she took him in her mouth properly. Although inexperienced she knew to hollow her cheeks and move her tongue, experimenting with her movements to see what drew the best reaction from the man. He watched her for a moment, letting go of his length and gripping her chin once more, the other hand still tangled in her hair. He held her still for a moment, drinking in her wide eyes and the obscene image of her red mouth wrapped around the tip of his cock. Gradually he began to guide her movements, thrusting his hips up slowly and carefully. She gagged a couple of times, but quickly adjusted, letting him fuck into her mouth slowly. The feeling was pleasant and, was made more so by the noises indicating Dracos enjoyment that seemed to bounce off of the bathroom tiles. Knowing she was responsible for his pleasure was so much more arousing than she thought it ever could be. 

"Good girl." He murmured after a moment, pulling at her ponytail and watching as he slipped out of her mouth. He pressed his thumb to her lips, groaning when she took the hint and sucked it into her mouth, tongue swirling sinfully. "Did so good, nearly made me come." She bristled with pride, watching from under her eyelashes as he leant back, grabbing his wand. 

"Contraceptive spell?" She questioned, voice hoarse, already knowing the answer. He nodded, muttering the correct incantation before slipping into the bath alongside her. Large hands pulled her against his strong chest and she fought to bite back a moan of anticipation as they roamed over her body. 

"Wrap your legs around me, kitten." She obliged, jumping slightly so she could wrap herself around his hips. Once she was steady she wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing herself to feel his strong shoulders, biting her bottom lip nervously. "This ok?"

"Yeah." Her words were barely a whisper, arousal and nerves reducing her to a pliant mess. He smirked. Gone were the days where she felt only indifference upon seeing the way the corner of his mouth quirked up at the corner. Every single bit of him drove her wild. She still wasn't sure how they had gone from enemies to this but fuck she wasn't complaining. "Daddy?" 

"'Mione?" He groaned against her neck, unable to control his visceral reaction to the way the nickname dripped from her tongue. 

"Fuck me now please." She watched as he bit back a smirk, reaching a hand between them to take a hold of himself, directing himself to her entrance.

"As you wish." She shivered as he entered her slowly. The angle was different than it had been the last time with them both standing and he felt deeper within her, filling her in the way she'd been craving. A whine left her lips, head falling to rest on his shoulder, hands clinging to his back as he began to fuck his hips up into her. Somehow, it was even better than the first time and she couldn't hold back the stream of moans leaving her lips. Draco was equally as affected, holding her hips tight enough to leave fingerprint shaped bruises as he kept a steady pace, whispering dirty words against her ear. She hadn't expected him to be as gentle as he was the first time but he was still strangely soft with her, clearly caring so much about her pleasure. It didn't take long for both of them to hit their climaxes, Hermione orgasming with a shout of Dracos name and Draco following mere seconds later. They stayed connected as they caught their breath, kissing each other lazily.

"Draco?" Hermione breathed as he slipped himself out of her, unwrapping herself from around him and standing on her own two feet. "That was..." He cut her off with a harsh kiss.

"I know." He agreed, not letting her say anything that could further complicate their situation. "We'll go to the room next time though, more of a chance we'll get caught here but I couldn't stop imagining how you'd look in these baths." Hermione giggled, kissing his cheek before turning, wading towards the edge of the baths and stepping out. She wrapped one of the towels Draco had laid out around herself, watching as he did the same. 

"Thank you for standing up to Ron today." She murmured as she redressed, smiling as she noticed the way his cheeks flushed slightly.

"Potter is as bad as the Weasel. I truly don't understand why you're the bad guy in this situation." Hermione just shrugged, biting her lip as she looked the now fully-clothed man in the eye. 

"Harry is more of a coward than you would think." She breathed, allowing herself to speak ill of her supposed best-friend for the first time in years. It was true. Harry avoided conflict as much as he could, he was too much of a pacifist to side with her. To him she was sure it seemed easier, less confrontational, to attempt to placate her into apologising than it did to side with her and try to get Ron to see the error of his ways. "Goodnight Draco." She snapped herself out of her daydream, stepping forward to kiss him once more.

"Goodnight Hermione." He replied, cupping her cheek in his hand as he returned the tender kiss. They held gentle eye contact for a moment before Hermione gave him a small nod, turning on her heel and exiting the bathroom. Once again she avoided looking back, still not trusting herself to keep from throwing herself into his arms. 

\- - - - -

Once more she made her way through the quiet corridors of the castle with ease, knowing too well which portraits would gladly tattle on her and, having somehow gained the trust of Filchs' cat. Once she'd made it to the Gryffindor tower, sneaking back into the common room was even less of a complicated ordeal. The Fat Lady was quiet in her sleepy state and, still appeared to hold some sympathy for Hermione, having been informed of Hermione's emotional outburst by the gossiping portraits residing within the common room. Plus, it was late enough that the common room was almost completely empty, save from a number of students from her year group passed out on the comfier armchairs. The array of ink bottles and parchment around these students suggested they were the victims of failed late-night study sessions. She certainly didn't envy them. 

"Where have you been?" A voice demanded, startling her out of the trance she had apparently fallen into, pitying her peers despite herself. She turned quickly to face the direction the voice had come from, rolling her eyes as she identified the source. Ron was sat in one of the chairs, facing slightly away from the common room entrance. Apparently, she'd overlooked the one student who had won their battle against sleep. 

"That is no longer any of your business." She replied coldly, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring down her nose at him. He didn't even have the decency to look sheepish, face hardening as he stood up and took a couple of steps towards her.

"You're really still fucked off over that stupid misunderstanding?" He challenged, causing her to scoff, shaking her head in utter disbelief.

"As a matter of fact, Ronald, I am. And I'm even more 'fucked off' that you think neglecting me as both a friend and a girlfriend and humiliating me is a stupid misunderstanding."

"Nothing I did gave you the right to hex me!" He exclaimed, switching the subject to avoid acknowledging anything that he'd done wrong. 

"Everything you did gave me that right." She replied simply, glaring as he stepped closer again, silently daring him to fucking do something. 

"You're seriously going to piss away our friendship and relationship because I got my dates wrong and didn't shag you?" He sneered, clearly sensing the challenge in her eyes. "I didn't know you were so fucking desperate." 

"Ronald." She moved forward, hands clenched in fists by her sides. "I was never and will never be desperate for you. You have never given me any pleasure, never given me any true affection, will never be on my level intellectually and seem to think it's acceptable to constantly take without giving anything back. I will not apologise for hexing you and I stand by what I said the other night. I am going to ruin you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go to bed, you should consider doing the same." She made to turn on her heel but was stopped by his hand gripping her wrist harshly. The anger was evident on his face and, if she didn't have her wand within reach, she probably would have been a bit scared by the expression on his face. 

"You're hiding something Hermione and I know it. I know you wouldn't have waited for me as long as you did the other night and I know you've been sneaking around tonight. Whatever it is you're keeping a secret I hope it's worth losing me and Harry." Hermione scoffed, doing her best to feign indifference and ignorance. 

"There's this place called the library, Ronald and the Room of Requirement is an excellent place to get your thoughts together." With that, she snatched her wrist from his grasp and ran to her dorm as fast as her legs could take her. She didn't let herself worry about his threat, slipping her robes off and changing her lingerie into something more sleep-friendly before getting under the covers. 

She wouldn't let Ron ruin the happiness she had just found.

\- - - - - -

The sneaking around, the secret smiles shared as they passed through the castle corridors, the silent conversations exchanged on the odd occasion they allowed themselves to make eye contact continued despite Ron's threat. Hermione had initially attempted to keep the news of his growing suspicions to herself, fearing that it would bring an end to their newfound passion. It hadn't lasted long. Draco, as perceptive as he was, had sensed that something was up, picking up on her growing hesitation to interact with him outside of the room of requirement. When she finally caved and told him he'd initially been angry, furious that she would allow them to continue despite the increased risk but eventually he'd calmed, reassuring her that he was just as reluctant to end whatever had grown between them. It was too easy to pretend that things would be ok. This had started off as a physical attraction, borne out of them each needing the release that the other's body provided. There was no doubt that it was more than just an attraction now. Whatever it was had been steadily growing into something more, no matter how many times they whispered that they needed to be careful. 

"Draco?" Hermione murmured against Dracos naked chest, their bodies still entwined. 

"Yeah?" He replied softly, pushing her mess of hair off her face and tilting her chin so he could look her in the eye. 

"Tell me about your childhood, your family and what it was like to grow up with magic? What did you know about muggles and when did you learn about blood status?" She paused for a moment. "And what you do you want to do when we leave school?" Draco sighed softly, as though he had been waiting for the moment when her curiosity started to complicate things. He hesitated, only momentarily.

"Get dressed. Then you can ask your questions." He replied shortly, looking as though he regretted his acquiescence already. 

"Thank you." Hermione breathed, biting back her smile as she untangled their limbs, pulling her underwear and her shirt back on hurriedly. She had expected him to refuse. Getting to know each other on a personal level would undoubtedly add another level to whatever had grown between them. Somehow, asking and answering questions seemed more intimate than sharing each other's bodies. He dressed as she did, taking his time in the hopes of prolonging the inevitable. Any other time she would have been annoyed but she chose to bite her tongue, not wanting him to change his mind. Eventually, he sat back beside her, running a hand through his mussed-up hair and looking at her with a fondness in his eyes that she still hadn't quite adjusted to. 

"So what do you want to know?" He mumbled, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her back to his chest. 

"Everything." She replied, allowing herself to find comfort in their closeness. Once more he sighed. 

"To me, it was so normal really. I know now that it wasn't, isn't. Father has always been distant, mother was less so but eventually she grew into his coldness too. I was spoilt, given everything but comfort really and learning about blood purity is one of my first memories really." He paused, stroking her hair. "I learnt about muggles, about how they burnt people they thought had magic, about how they forced us into hiding and secrecy, about the wars they caused. I was told muggle borns would be the downfall of our society." He sounded tentative, obviously worried that he would offend her with his words. It almost made her laugh, how much things had changed in such a short period of time. 

"It's ok, I asked, I want to know." She reassured.

"I believed it. I guess I still do, I'm still not sure what was real or exaggerated, its not like I could take muggle studies, you know? I know that some of it can't have been true. I know blood isn't as all-important as I was raised to think." Draco added, clearly trying to reassure her. "I used to want to be just like my dad, you know? I idolised him as a child. But I know that he isn't everything I thought, everything he made himself out to be. I kind of just want to practice in potions now, work for a living and make my own name, away from him and his shadow." Hermione sat up, leaning forward and pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek.

"I can see you in Snape shoes" She teased, sensing the need to cut through the tension that had grown between them. He smiled, shaking his head and hugging her closer. Holding her tight to his chest as if he was afraid to let her go having shown her vulnerability.

"I don't have the patience to teach." He laughed softly. There was no real humour in it. "What about you, what are muggles actually like? How did they react to learning about magic? Do they know about everything you get up t-...have gotten up to with Potter and the Weasel or all the danger you've put yourself in or how good of a punch you throw?" Now it was Hermione's turn to laugh.

"My mother taught me how to punch, actually." 

They sat like that for hours, exchanging childhood memories, comparing their experiences of growing up in different worlds with different histories and values. Draco explained the roots of blood prejudice, prompting Hermione to talk about how the muggle world had a similar system of discrimination based on skin colour. He struggled to understand the muggle education system that Hermione had been part of, prior to receiving her Hogwarts letter, and was similarly baffled by her stories of muggle technologies that he swore had to be some form of magic. Hermione found herself disliking Dracos parents more and more as she learnt about the cruel ways pureblood raised their heirs whereas Draco got excited over Hermione's explanation of her parent's profession, fascinated at the idea of a whole field of medicine being dedicated to teeth. She promised in a way that held no real weight that if the opportunity ever arose he could certainly book an appointment with her parents. Dracos stories of learning to fly, of close encounters with various dangerous magical creatures, of falling victim to magical maladies, of forced etiquette lessons that he found creative ways to sneak out of and toy potions kits had Hermione in fits of giggles, gasping and asking questions at any interval that arose. Although she felt his stories were so much more interesting than anything she had to offer he didn't complain once, listening intently. His careful intention and innocent curiosity felt surreal. So much more so than sleeping with him did. She'd been right. This was definitely an intimate step forward, further entangling the web that had spun between them. Having gotten over their initial hesitations neither of them could find it in them to care, accepting the fact they were digging themselves a deeper hole by getting even more attached. 

Eventually, though, they couldn't ignore the pressure to get to their own beds any longer. 

As much as they wanted to stay in the room of requirement, remain in their bubble, neither of them could afford to take that risk. They'd be ruined if they were spotted leaving together. They exchanged goodbyes and tender kisses, trying not to acknowledge the fact that leaving the room and each other got harder and harder each time. As always Hermione was the first to creep out, half running back to her common room. She knew they couldn't possibly spend the night together but that didn't stop it hurting as they parted ways. It was although, by walking away, she was severing the bonds that had just formed between them, distancing herself from him both physically and emotionally. Realistically, she knew it was only temporary, that in no longer than 3 days she would be back in his arms, picking up where they had left off but somehow, that didn't do much to reassure her. She was in over her head, falling harder than she'd anticipated she could or would. 

It was way too late for being careful.


	3. Out of the woods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay in updating this! I hope the long chapter and the fact I've actually decided to add a fourth chapter AND an epilogue makes up for it. The support for this work a little overwhelming actually, all comments and kudos are hugely appreciated and I hope everyone is doing well.

**_Remember when we couldn't take the heat_ **

**_I walked out, I said, I'm setting you free_ **

**_But the monsters turned out to be just trees_ **

**_When the sun came up you were looking at me_ **

\- - - - - - **_Out of the woods - Taylor Swift_ **\- - - - - -

Days turned into weeks turned into months and before Hermione had the chance to take a breath, Christmas was upon Hogwarts. 

She hadn't expected her and Draco to get away with sneaking around for so long, hadn't expected to still be an outcast in her own house and certainly hadn't expected to be facing the prospect of spending Christmas alone, or back in the muggle world. There had been a very noticeable silence from Mrs Weasley since she'd hexed Ron that suggested she was no longer welcome at the Burrow. 

So much had changed in such a short time but she had adjusted, accepting her new normal graciously, despite how difficult it felt at times. Draco hadn't needed to adapt quite as much as she had, given that his house and friends hadn't turned their backs on him but he was supportive, recognising the difficulties of the position she was now in. Although he remained cold towards her in public he was as cautious as possible, trying as hard as he could (without raising suspicion) to avoid making her life any more difficult. If he ever called her name, needing to keep up appearances, he apologised profusely and tenderly at the nearest opportunity. No matter how many times she said that it wasn't necessary. He would hold her close, whisper sweet nothings against her skin and fuck her so gently she almost considered it lovemaking. 

Almost. 

Neither of them had built up the courage to discuss the gravity of what had developed between them and, having learnt from the mistakes she made with Ron, Hermione was not going to let her heart run wild. She would not let herself be so disappointed by a boy again. Her mum had taught her better than that. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like they were likely to be discussing the emotional consequences of their secret affair anytime soon. As the days passed by it was becoming harder and harder for them to find the time to meet. They were, like every student in their year group, kept busy by a vast number of assignments, all with deadlines that felt unfairly close. However, alongside the school work that was drowning them, the time they had for one another was also limited significantly by Dracos duties to his family and, by extension, to the Dark Lord. Whatever he was working on should have been a bone of contention between them but Hermione did her very best to keep her nose out of that part of Dracos life. If she became privy to any details of his project in excess of the fact he had a job to do then it would only put them both in danger. Alongside this, although she would never admit it out loud, she wanted to keep her naivety as to the extent of his position amongst the Death Eaters for as long as possible. If they didn't talk about it she could pretend that he wasn't the sworn enemy, wasn't bound to someone who thought people of her lineage were undeserving of the magic that ran through their veins. If they didn't talk about it she could pretend that their relationship wasn't some strange taboo, a forbidden affair. Maintaining her blissful ignorance helped her to ignore the significance of the tattoo etched into the pale skin of his forearm. 

"Granger." Hermione jumped in her chair, nearly causing the pile of library books balanced on the desk beside her to topple over. She narrowed her eyes as the owner of the voice snorted, looking up at Draco with a slight pout on her face. 

"Malfoy." She replied, keeping her tone as neutral as possible. The library was essentially empty but they still had to be careful. They could never really be too careful. He gave her a quick half-smile, reaching to grab a book from the shelf above her head, dropping a small piece of parchment into her lap as he did so. Once he'd retrieved the book he was after, he looked around the room before deeming it safe for him to push a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. She couldn't help but blush at the tenderness of his action, holding the parchment he'd dropped tight in her fist. 

"I'll see you around." He whispered, so softly it was almost as though he'd simply exhaled and, as quickly as he'd come, he was leaving. Hermione let out a breath she didn't realise that she'd been holding, trying to shake the smile that she reserved especially for encounters with Draco off of her face. It wouldn't do to be seen grinning like a lunatic whilst sat by herself in a corner of the library. People already thought she was mad for the threat she had made against Ron. She allowed herself to watch him as he walked away, biting her lip between her teeth to hold back that smile. 

He was so fucking beautiful. 

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

"Took your time." Dracos familiar drawl welcomed her into the room of requirement. She rolled her eyes playfully, all but skipping over to the sofa on which he was sat. As time had passed by the room had become more attuned to their needs and wants. It had long since stopped just providing them with a bed and seemed instead to be set on building them more and more of a house each time. It was getting harder and harder to leave the room at the end of each night. 

"Something tells me you got impatient and came here early." She shrugged, placing her arms around his neck and confidentially lowering herself into his lap, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. His hands immediately went to hold her waist, squeezing her tight, as if trying to reassure himself now they were finally together.

"There could be some truth in that." He mumbled in agreement, resting his head on her shoulder. "I think I'm going to have to execute my father's plan soon." His words hit like a bucket of cold water.

"Already?" She responded, pulling back to look him in the eye. He nodded gravely, apprehension and regret obvious in his face.

"They're getting restless, all of them." He explained, his tone carefully controlled. "I need to fix the cabinet, I have around a month after Christmas to sort it and get them in the castle." Hermione swallowed. They didn't talk about Draco's obligations often. It never ended well, always soured the mood and filled their stomachs with dread, reminding them that they weren't built to last.

"And there's no way out of this?" She breathed, worrying her lip between her teeth. He shook his head.

"Dumbledore has to die, I don't know why but he does. My father is in Azkaban, the dark lord can't do too much about that, but he can use me as an example, a punishment. This isn't what I want but he'll kill my mother, or me, or worse, use occlumency on me to see what has changed my mind and come after you." Draco's tone became more urgent as he spoke, getting worked up at the thought of his task and the danger it put everyone in. 

"Is there no way for us to warn people, subtly? Dumbledore would understand?" Draco shook his head violently before sighing heavily.

"He would know. I don't know how but he would no." Hermione paused for a moment.

"I can't help you fix it, but do you think you have the time to do it?"

"If I stay for Christmas, yeah," Draco said quietly, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. "But even then I'll have to dedicate all of my time too it. It's complicated magic, dark and advanced. I can't risk fucking it up." 

"At least we'll have more freedom over Christmas then." Draco shot her a curious look, raising an eyebrow. "I'm staying here too. I'm most certainly not invited to the burrow and my family, although I miss them, they wouldn't understand my worrying."

"Worrying?"

"Yeah, for you." She rolled her eyes, as though it was blatantly obvious what she had meant. In her head, it had been. "I'm scared, Draco." 

"Me too." Draco joined their lips carefully, holding her to his chest as if already fearing letting her go. "'Mione, you know we'll have to fight and look like we mean it when he gets into the castle? You can't be seen to be protecting me. My sid- my families side would never accept you and you can't live happily isolated from both the light and the dark."

"I figured." Hermione sighed heavily, not liking the serious edge the conversation had quickly taken. "For the record, the thought of fighting against you feels so much worse than the thought of fighting alongside those who have rejected me." Draco couldn't help but laugh.

"I can't say that surprises me. Hell hath no fury like a Hermione scorned." Hermione giggled, pressing a tender kiss to his nose. 

"I just don't want to lose you." She muttered against his lips, resting their foreheads together. "Promise me you won't let me lose you." Draco was quiet for a moment, rubbing her waist through her shirt.

"'Mione?" 

"Draco?"

"Maybe we should stop this." He sighed again. "This won't end well, we have opposite sides and opposite obligations and it just seems to get riskier and riskier as time passes." She found herself temporarily unable to respond, trying to quell the panic that erupted in her chest the moment that the words had left his mouth. She blinked, swallowed and stood up from his lap.

"Do you want to stop?" Draco grimaced, bracing himself slightly.

"You know I don't. But just because I don't want to doesn't mean we shouldn't." A loud sigh left his lips. "I need to get this done and you need to not be culpable and..." He trailed off, clearly not knowing what else to add.

"So is this you saying that we should end it hypothetically, even though we both already know that?" She did her best to stop her voice rising in pitch, not wanting to seem hysterical. "Or are you ending it now, after you effectively said we'd spend the holidays together?" Draco swallowed, hard, rubbing his face and groaning.

"Hermione." He sighed, grabbing her by her wrists. "Can you let me protect you, for once? I want to do the right thing." She paused a moment before pulling away from him.

"What if we're already doing the right thing?" Now it was Draco's turn to pause, another heavy sigh leaving his lips before he attempted to speak.

"If we were it wouldn't be so dangerous and so hard." Hermione forced herself to nod, standing still for a moment before straightening up her posture, schooling her face into careful composure. 

"Well, in that case, I should be going." She mumbled, barely giving him a second look before she turned on her heel and took off, exiting the room as fast as she could and making a beeline for her common room. It was the sensible option, she would never deny Draco that, but it hurt. 

God did it hurt. 

She was so flustered, so focused on holding back her tears, so determined to get back to the sanctuary of her dorm that she didn't notice Ron turning the corner until it was too late, running straight into him. 

\- - - - - - 

"Fucking hell." The redhead muttered as they collided, both of them stumbling backwards and ending up on the cold stone floor. In her haste to stand up and dust herself off, she failed to notice the smug smirk on his face, only noticing that something was up when instead of letting her walk away he grabbed her wrist. "What's the matter with you, 'Mione, lovers tiff?" His use of her nickname was cruel, taunting, but the least of her concerns. How had his jeer been so accurate?

"What?" She snapped, not quite able to think of some witty response, blood turning cold as Ron's smirk grew.

"I told you I would figure it out didn't I?" He spoke casually, dropping her wrist as though her skin had burnt him. "You and Draco, I saw you both enter the room of requirement about 20 minutes ago and I just caught you both leaving too." He patted his pocket, clearly indicating that he'd been following her on the marauders map. She froze for a moment before letting out the most authentic laugh she could muster.

"And because we entered the room together we have to be lovers? We were looking for something, something that mutually benefits us." She looked Ron straight in the eye, hoping that he would find her more convincing. He just shook his head.

"You can't lie to me. The late nights, the sneaking around, the weird fucking smile on your face and now I catch you running from him as if your life depends on it, looking about ready to fall apart? You've been shagging him." He spat, words venomous.

"And so fucking what if I have!?" She practically shrieked, knowing that she'd been caught out. "Why the fuck does it matter?" Ron at least had the decency to look appropriately startled but he quickly regained his cold expression.

"Because, Hermione, he's a fucking death eater! You know, one of the cunts who walks around in pointy hats, killing muggles, muggles like your parents." His face reddened as his temper rose in oh so typical Weasley fashion. 

"You don't know shit about him." She retorted, unable to deny that he was, in fact, a death eater, having seen the mark branded into his pale skin. 

"And you do?" Ron snorted. "He stuck his dick in you and suddenly he's not a literal servant to you know who?" She swallowed, hard, reaching for her wand.

"Who I sleep with, Ronald is none of your fucking business. It's not like I'm marrying him, is it?" He just laughed in disbelief. 

"Sleeping with him is just as fucking bad! He's a death eater, he's the enemy, he's probably going to fucking drag you down with him when he goes you know?" 

"You think I'm fucking stupid enough to get involved with any of that shit?" Ron snorted again. She'd almost forgot how frequently he did that in conversation.

"You're stupid enough to shag him so I don't fucking know to be honest." He jeered, running a hand through his head. "Surely you're not naive enough, blinded enough to think that what you're doing is ok?" She just shook her head.

"What I've done, past tense, it was a short term arrangement." She said bitterly, lying through her teeth. And once again, Ronald, who I sleep with or am sleeping with is none of your business. It's none of anyone's fucking business. I'm not fucking giving away all of Harry's secrets or anything." Ron sneered.

"And what makes you think he hasn't just used occlumency on you?" 

"Because I'm not a fucking idiot Ron, that's why. Because I still had my fucking guard up and my wits about me. And because he's not a complete fucking monster." 

"He's called you a mud-blood for most of your school life," Ron said in disbelief, shaking his head. 

"Yeah well, at least he didn't stand me up on my birthday. Words are just words, Ron, actions are what counts."

"Is this what this whole thing is about? I made a mistake Hermione and my mistake certainly isn't as bad as yours." She plastered an over the top smile on her face, stepping forward and prodding his chest with her finger. 

"Your 'mistake' led to mine. I slept with Draco for the first time that night." She sneered, as viciously as she could manage before turning on her heel and walking off in the direction of the dorms as quickly as she could physically manage. Thankfully Ron appeared too stunned by her announcement to chase after her and so she was able to find peace relatively quickly. It was only when she was in her bed, concealed from the other girls by the curtains and several silencing charms that she let herself cry, simultaneously mourning the loss of Draco and trying not to panic too much about the fact Ron knew. Ron knew a secret that could ruin her and kill Draco and, he had absolutely no reason to keep it. She'd hexed him, humiliated him, refused to apologise and then gloated about sleeping with Draco the same night she'd intended to go to bed with him. Part of her didn't want to communicate any of this with Draco. Part of her was so hurt she wanted to keep it a secret, avoid the pain of having to speak to him so soon but she knew she couldn't. Doing so would leave Draco so vulnerable. The worst part about this whole ordeal was how quickly Draco had been proved right, how fast the universe had decided to remind her of the risks their actions held. 

She hadn't even had a minute to gather her emotions before Dracos prediction that everything would come crashing down had been proven accurate. 

Eventually, she stopped crying, sitting up in her bed and wiping away the remains of her tear tracks. There was only one person who could ensure that Ron kept the secret he had discovered whilst simultaneously being trustworthy to not intervene with the task Draco had to carry out. Of course, this person was the last person she would ever want to notify of her sex life but, her reputation and Dracos physical safety were very much on the line. She had to talk to Snape. No matter how humiliating doing so would be. Part of her was tempted to seek him out immediately, sneak out again and bang on his private chambers until he heard her out but she figured Snape would ignore her if she did so. It would have to wait until after class. Knowing there was still a high chance he would attempt to ignore her she wrote out a howler, charming it carefully so that it would activate if she so commanded. He wouldn't be able to dispose of it and, once activated he certainly wouldn't be able to ignore her. Only when she was content with her handiwork did she let herself get into bed, doing her best to focus on sleep, rather than running through every possible scenario in her head. 

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - 

"Granger, do you not have another class to get too?" Snape's drawl startled her, even though she had been expecting it, deliberately taking longer than was necessary to pack up her bag. She swallowed, hard, shoving the last of her things away before turning to face him.

"I need to tell you something. Draco is in danger." To her surprise, despite her nerves, she managed to sound assertive. Confident, even. Snape seemed equally surprised, raising an eyebrow. He recovered quickly, trademark sneer spreading over his face.

"Explain. Quickly." Hermione nodded, slightly disappointed her Howler was going to go to waste.

"Draco has a task, a task that is supposed to show his loyalty to the Dark Lord. But...well, Ron discovered that I and Draco have been sleeping together and he's pretty bitter about it." She kept her head down, not daring to make eye contact. "He's going to spread the information, Dracos loyalty will be questioned and he'll be at risk. I can't tell him, we ended things and you were the only person I could think of who could keep Ron silent and warn Draco." Silence fell between them. Gradually she built up the courage to look up from the dungeon floor, noting that Snape was no longer sneering. He actually looked genuinely concerned. 

"Thank you, Granger." He said curtly, almost politely. For a fleeting second, she was scared, not sure how to react to his change of attitude. It was the closest he'd got to treating her with respect. "I'll find Mr Weasley now, me and Draco are scheduled a meeting this afternoon so I'll explain the situation to him also." 

"Thank you." She replied solemnly, bowing her head and grabbing her bag. Her nerves came crashing back all at once and she found herself half running to the doorway, eager to put space between herself and the potions professor. 

"Granger," Snape called after her, causing her to freeze in her tracks. Slowly she turned on her heel, looking at him expectantly. He sighed, as if what he was about to say pained him.

"Give Draco time. He'll come back." And if Hermione hadn't been so scared she might have fainted right on the spot. She just about managed to nod before she scurried away, thankfully unstopped that time.

Clearly, their situation wasn't news to him.

How long had he known about it and why did it sound like he approved? She blinked a couple of times, shaking her head as if to clear it. If she thought about the brief exchange too much she was certainly going to give herself a headache. In an effort to distract herself she glanced down at her watch, groaning when she noted how late for class she was. There was no way she could walk in without looking overly conspicuous, something she definitely couldn't afford at this point and so, for the first time, Hermione Granger skipped class. She couldn't even bring herself to enjoy the adrenaline of doing so, the rush in her veins so similar to that which she'd felt when sneaking into Dracos arms. A painful reminder that she was once again alone in the world. That she'd lost what they had given each other so early on. She thought she'd experienced heartbreak. Foolishly she thought that she'd be able to handle it but the pain she'd felt when Ron stood her up didn't compare in the slightest to this. Just thinking of continuing without Draco, going back to normal, pained her, physically knocking her breathless. 

"Don't you have class, miss?" A portrait spoke, startling her out of her trance. She was suddenly reminded of the fact she was standing aimlessly in the potions corridor when she had other places to be. Given how focused she was on the ache in her chest there was no way she'd be able to come up with an alibi should a professor stumble upon her. Knowing that the last place she wanted to be was her dorm room, given how exposed it left her, she ran off to the first private place she could think of. The first place that was guaranteed to be empty at that time of day. The owlery.

Unfortunately, as her luck would have it, she quickly found that the owlery wasn't empty. It was occupied by someone who held the top spot on her list of people she wanted to avoid like the plague. Draco himself was standing in front of one of the many windows in the circular room, back to her, hands resting on the low window ledge in a way that made his shoulders hunch over. Even from a distance, even after everything, he still took her breath away. Her stomach still filled with excited butterflies at the prospect of finding him alone, not quite up to speed with the rest of her that wanted nothing more than to run. For some reason, she was frozen on the spot. Unable to do anything but stare at his back. 

Eventually, she found her feet but, before she could flee the loud screech of an owl had Draco whirling around in shock, his eyes meeting hers instantly. She swallowed, hard, praying she had the self-control to keep her emotions in check. The last thing she wanted was to cry in front of him.

"Mi-" Draco began but she cut him off before he could even finish saying her name.

"Ron knows. About us." She blurted out. "I told Snape, he's going to make sure he says nothing. I didn't know what else to do." Draco blanched, gripping the brick wall beside him tightly as if afraid he'd fall over.

"How did he-" He trailed off, eyes wide.

"He followed me," Hermione replied, omitting to tell Draco about the Marauders map. "Snape said he'd made sure Ron didn't say anything, I'm assuming he'll tell you how he gets on with that when you meet him later." Draco just nodded. She waited for a moment, silently hoping that he'd say something else but she soon gave up, turning on her heel and making to leave the Owlery. The last thing she wanted was for this to get any more awkward. However, before she had even made it out the door a hand had clasped around her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.

"'Mione." It was the urgency in Dracos voice that had her whirling back around to face him, not her bodies need to be physically closer to him. She exhaled sharply, overwhelmed by their proximity and the intensity of his gaze.

"Draco, we shouldn't b-" Before she could finish her sentence Draco pulled her into his chest and crushed their lips together, kissing her as if his life depended on it. For a moment, just a moment she relaxed into it, allowing herself to enjoy the feeling before she pushed him back. 

"You said yourself we can't continue doing this, that it wasn't safe! Why would you do that so publicly?" She whisper yelled, not wanting to upset any of the owls by actually shouting. Draco sighed heavily, pushing his hair back out of his face. It was only then she noticed the dark bags under his eyes and the slight shake of his hands.

"I was wrong." He snapped. "I was wrong. This is...this is worth the risk, this is something I don't want to sacrifice." Hermione struggled to hide her surprise, his confession catching her off guard.

"Wha-" He cut her off, pressing a finger to her lips.

"Just...Just let me talk, yeah?" He breathed, tone softer. "I was wrong, ok? When I said this couldn't be right because of how hard it is, how hard it will be. I know it's dangerous, I know we're going to have some horrible decisions to make but...but, I think we both know this has always been more than just sex. You're the only true, good thing in my life, the only thing that is worth fighting for. I was stupid to have pushed that away and I want to take the risk, I want to try and make this work. My family are...well, they're hardly family, they're the reason I have this task, the reason I have to take this horrible risk. I'm tired of protecting them, I want to protect you, properly." Hermione swallowed, hard, fighting the urge to pinch herself and check if she was dreaming or something. 

"Draco" She breathed out, voice barely a whisper. "You mean that?" He nodded almost immediately, expression solemn. She could tell just from looking at him that he was entirely serious.

"I...I think we should do what you suggested, I think we should go to Dumbledore." 


	4. All we know (is don't let go)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I know I said this would be uploaded on Wednesday the 19th....and it may or may not be Sunday the 23rd now but life hit hard. I hope this is ok, for some reason it was incredibly hard to get written so I hope this isn't as tedious to read as it felt to write. Thank you for your ongoing support! All kudos and comments are hugely appreciated.

Christmas passed them by in a whirlwind. 

A whirlwind of late nights, early mornings and ignored curfews. Despite Draco’s decision to confide in Dumbledore his task had not changed, the cabinet still had to be repaired. The Death Eaters were still to be given passage into the castle. Dumbledore’s decision to allow Voldemort’s plan to go ahead had not gone unquestioned, both Hermione and Draco had nearly rioted when they weren’t given a simple way out but, despite their confusion, despite their fear, they had no one else to put their faith into. Dumbledore and Snape were not just the only people who knew of their situation, they were the only people they could trust to keep them safe. If Dumbledore said the plan must be fulfilled then, even if they disagreed, they were in no position to turn their backs on him or ignore his advice. So, despite his initial shock, Draco had dutifully committed to fixing the vanishing cabinet. Snape had offered his assistance but Draco had insisted he do it alone. He’d not been told as such but he knew that Voldemort would be able to sense the magical trace of anyone who gave him a helping hand and, relying on the work of another would likely be as bad as failing. However, despite his protests, he wasn’t entirely alone in his work. Hermione stayed with him every step of the way, refusing to leave his side as he dabbled with more and more complicated magic. With most students at home for the holidays, she was all too happy to take advantage of how much easier it was for them to see one another. 

Every so often she would offer him guidance, surrendering when he objected to her suggestions and smiling secretly when he ended up following her advice. 

It was an arrangement far from perfect, something that still filled them both with dread, but they were no longer entirely alone. And, for the first time since their ‘relationship’ began Hermione allowed herself to enjoy it. She was no longer wracked with guilt, no longer convinced that she was indirectly assisting the Death Eaters and, both Dumbledore and Snape had made sure that Ron would keep his mouth shut. Unfortunately, this didn’t mean they were in the clear. As soon as Christmas was over they would have to go back to being careful, to stealing moments from one another. Draco still had to keep up appearances as he was likely being monitored by more than one of his housemates and Hermione couldn’t afford to raise the suspicions of anyone else. She suspected certain Gryfinndor's, namely Harry and Ginny, would be a lot harder to keep quiet if they found out. Unfortunately, hiding their situation from the rest of the student population wasn’t the only issue that threatened to keep them apart. Draco had a month, 30 days, from the end of the Christmas break to fix the cabinet. Given the extent to which the cabinet was resisting his efforts to fix it, he would need to spend as much time as possible working on it. Which, by default, meant he’d be able to commit less time to Hermione. Their relationship had evolved past the point of being purely sexual and Hermione couldn’t help but worry that a month of limited contact with one another would ruin that. Despite her efforts to put a brave face on around Draco, not wanting to distract him too much, it hadn’t taken long for Draco to guess that she was worrying over something. 

“‘Mione?” Draco asked suddenly, startling her to the point that she dropped the book she’d been trying to read. It hadn’t been going too well. The fact that today was their last full day of freedom was weighing heavy on her mind and, as a result, she’d been stuck reading and rereading the same two sentences. She frowned, picking up her book and setting it on the sofa beside her as Draco moved away from the vanishing cabinet. The room of requirement really had evolved over the holiday period. Not only did it give them access to the vanishing cabinet but it essentially transformed itself into a small flat, giving them access to a bathroom, a bedroom, a small kitchenette and a living area, in which the cabinet stood proudly. Dumbledore had assured them that the room would almost certainly present a less romantic setting to the death eaters that would be entering through the said cabinet. 

“Hmm?” She replied hastily, fiddling with the cover of the book and giving him what she hoped was a convincing smile. “Is that you finished for the day?” She added once he was standing right in front of her.

“Mmhmm,” Draco said with a nod, crouching to Hermione’s level and placing a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Are you going to tell me what’s got you worrying your pretty head?” And of course, he’d seen right through her. She swallowed, hard and tried again to put a brave face on.

“I’m just thinking…” She trailed off, flushing when Draco raised his eyebrow at her, silently coaxing her to elaborate further. “It’s just…It’s going to be hard to go back to being careful, you know?” Draco was silent for a moment, pausing as if deep in thought before standing and picking Hermione up bridal style before she had a chance to process what was going on. “What are you doing?” She practically squeaked, clinging to Draco’s shirt.

“Paying you some proper attention,” He said simply setting her down on the bed gently and sitting down next to her. “I’ve been focused on that fucking cabinet while you’ve been sat worrying and that isn’t right.”

“The cabinet is more important than my silly worries.” She attempted to placate him, taking his hand in hers. “We managed before, we can do it again.” Draco smiled a half-smile, turning to face her and pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“I think we both know things have changed slightly.” And fuck did the intensity of his statement send shivers down her spine. She swallowed, hard, the slight blush that had appeared on her cheeks the moment he lifted her darkening significantly. 

“W-what do you mean?” She knew what he meant but, at that moment, all she wanted was to hear him say it. Despite their newfound sense of security they still hadn’t addressed the feelings that had grown between them, still hadn’t discussed what they actually were to one another. Draco sighed as he laid back, pulling Hermione close to his chest as he did so.

“Well, I think we both know this works better than it should.” He said softly, as if afraid of his own words. “And that this isn’t just sex and hasn’t been for a while. The fact that we have a chance now, a shot at security…well, it’s made it hard to ignore the fact that I have feelings for you other than lust. I know having to hide again is going to be hard but I want this to work and I want to show you just how much I want this to work. I can’t commit time to you because of this fucking cabinet and I know this might be a bit fast but, will you be my girlfriend?” Hermione blinked a couple of times, sitting up and turning to look at Draco. 

“You want me to be your girlfriend?” She asked, unable to hide her surprise. Draco chuckled a little and ran a hand through his hair, clearly nervous.

“I do.” He said solemnly, nodding his head.

“I’d love to be.” She replied almost immediately, unable to hide her happiness as a large smile spread over her face. Draco’s expression mimicked hers, grinning widely as he pulled her into a tight hug, pressing numerous kisses over her face. 

“Hermione Granger, my girlfriend, who would have thought?” Hermione couldn’t help but laugh, wriggling in his embrace, playfully trying to escape from his arms. He only tightened his grip around her waist, nudging her cheek with his nose so that she was forced to look up at him before joining their lips together in a hard kiss. She melted into it immediately, ceasing her struggling in favour of pressing herself against his chest, suddenly desperate to be as close to him as possible. After a moment she broke the kiss, still grinning widely.

“Draco Malfoy, my boyfriend, who would have thought?” She mimicked, laughing as Draco pressed their lips together again, hands still holding her waist as if he was afraid to let her go. She melted into his embrace, no longer having reason to keep her guard up, allowing him to pull her into his lap. The kiss deepened almost instantly, both desperate to lay their claim on one another bodies. Hermione didn’t think she would ever tire of giving him her body.

Time seemed too slow to an almost painful degree the moment term restarted. 

Finding opportunities to see one another became close to impossible. Despite the fact the days felt as though they were never-ending, every minute dragging out for what felt like a lifetime, they never seemed to have the time or an opportunity to sneak into each other's arms. It was hard, to say the least, exhausting at a bare minimum and neither of them was dealing very well with having to keep their mouths shut when they knew an attack was about to be staged on the castle. A side effect of the fact time seemed to be taunting them, deliberately dragging its heels, was that each day Draco seemed to make a breakthrough regarding repairing the cabinet. He seemed to have got passed the most difficult parts, managing to send small objects to the sister cabinet. It was a strange combination of terrifying, and relieving, knowing that the purpose of his task would soon be fulfilled. On one hand, they had no idea what to expect as the information Draco was privy too was less than helpful. On the other hand, the completion of the task marked the start of their freedom and, hopefully, their future together. Personally, Hermione couldn’t wait to not be in a constant state of emotional turmoil and, rubbing Draco’s change of heart in Ron's face was going to be quite fun too. Whatever Snape had threatened Ron with had clearly worked as he pointedly ignored both Draco and Hermione’s existence, avoiding both of them at all costs.

His radio silence wasn’t exactly remedying Hermione's boredom.

For the most part, she did her best to just focus on schoolwork, despite being well aware of the fact exams would likely be cancelled. On the days she wasn’t studying she was either observing Harry, knowing her former friend didn’t need much of an excuse to grow suspicious of Draco or practising her defensive spells. Dumbledore had assured her that, despite the fact he was bound to meet his end, the Order would know that Draco acted for him. Both Hermione and Draco were to be given refuge as one of his final wishes. However, despite this safety net, they would still need to keep suspicion to a minimum and so, for at least some of the battle that would likely ensue they would need to pretend to be on opposing sides. If the Death Eaters saw anything other than a bitter rivalry between them they would likely meet the same fate Dumbledore had resigned himself too. As a result, they’d been forced to spend some time choreographing a duel. Should they need to fight one another, face to face, they had a routine that would hopefully allow them to look serious whilst not hurting one another. Draco would take the offensive, using several pre-planned attacks that Hermione could easily defend herself from. Partially out of fear that something would go wrong and partially as it was the only proactive thing she could really do Hermione was practising almost obsessively, relying heavily on the lessons she’d learnt whilst helping Harry with the DA. It was a Sunday when she got the news. Another too quiet day. Another day where she felt she had nothing better to do but to hide away in an empty classroom, running through defensive spells. It was a strange room for her to find comfort in but had quickly become her favourite place. The same charms classroom that she, Ron and Harry had found Fluffy during their first year. The harp in the corner the only real indication that the three-headed dog had ever existed but it still felt nostalgic, oddly safe, strangely comforting. 

She’d been in the process of stupefying the mannequin she’d conjured up when Draco burst into the room, wide-eyed and panting.

“Draco?” She squeaked, hand moving to clutch her heart as she recovered from the shock of his sudden intrusion.

“‘Mione.” He mumbled through heavy breaths. “I did it. It works. I-I sent a live bird and it didn’t…it didn’t die passing between them. It’s done, they come tomorrow.” The room chilled as if a Dementor had entered it and Hermione felt the breath leave her chest. 

“Fuck.” She responded, eyes wide. Draco nodded, collapsing to the floor into a cross-legged heap and placing his head in his hands.

“I don’t know if I can do this.” He breathed, barely audible. 

“Draco, baby,” Hermione whispered, snapping out of her stupor and moving to his side. “If anyone can do this, it’s you. It’s going to be ok.” She dropped to her knees beside him, pressing their foreheads together to soothe him. 

“What if it goes wrong?” His voice was still only just whisper, trembling ever so slightly. 

“I won’t let it.” She answered firmly, running a hand through his hair and pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. “I won’t let it go wrong, this is our shot.” Draco looked her in the eyes for a couple more moments before nodding, exhaling heavily as he did so.

“We’re gonna be ok, aren’t we?” He sounded timid, like a small child asking for permission from a parent to do something he knew wasn’t allowed. Hermione did her best to smile, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it, hard.

“We can.” She assured, doing her best to sound confident. Of course, she had doubts, of course, they would keep her up that night, of course, she shared Draco’s fears but, it wouldn’t do to dwell on these concerns. She couldn’t afford to lose faith in their plan. 

“Stay with me tonight,” Draco exclaimed, suddenly, snapping her out of her thoughts. 

“What?” She replied, voice breaking, giving away her surprise. 

“Stay with me tonight, in the room.” He repeated, more confident in his words this time. “I want to have a night with you, properly, just in case things go wrong tomorrow.” Hermione swallowed, hard, blinking a few times.

“Won’t people notice?” 

“Who cares?” Draco shrugged. “Tomorrow will change everything if anyone notices they’ll have forgotten by the evening.” His words were surprisingly matter-of-fact, casual as if it wasn’t too big of a deal. 

“Ok,” Hermione responded, meeting Draco’s eyes and smiling as widely as her nerves would allow. Draco matched her smile, pulling her into a tight hug, made slightly awkward by the fact they were both still sat on the cold stone floor.

“Meet you there at 7?” He spoke up after a while, kissing her hard almost the moment she nodded her agreement. And then, with that, he was gone, leaving almost as quickly as he’d arrived. Presumably heading to let both Snape and Dumbledore know that he had successfully completed his task, allowing them to make whatever preparations were necessary. She stayed on the floor for a few more minutes, silently taking in everything that had just happened, swallowing down the panic that was threatening to claw its way out her stomach. Honestly, she wasn’t sure what was more nerve-wracking, the thought of spending a full night with Draco or the imminent threat of Death Eaters entering the castle.

Hermione had spent more than enough time admiring Draco. She was, therefore, quite familiar with each tiny detail of his face, the slight upward curve of his nose, the almost feminine fullness of his lips and the small crease that appeared in his brow when he was concentrating. 

However, seeing him in the rosy light of morning was a novel experience, one she never wanted to end. 

The room of requirement, despite its lack of windows, had cast the room in a golden glow, mimicking the way the sun would peek through curtains. The warm light seemed to blur her vision slightly, erasing any harsh lines, softening everything - including Draco’s features. Seeing the blonde man like this, peaceful, hazy, more vulnerable than usual, did funny things to her heartbeat and awoke a horde of butterflies that fluttered violently within her stomach. If she’d thought him beautiful before he could currently be considered angelic.

“Enjoying the view?” Draco spoke, startling her out of her starry-eyed daydream, smirk evident in his voice. She groaned slightly, rolling onto her back and staring pointedly at the ceiling.

“I don’t know what you mean.” She bluffed as Draco rolled onto his side, mimicking the position she’d been in before he sensed her watching over him. He reached a handout, tenderly pushing a stray curl out of her face and grinning widely. 

“Good morning, beautiful.” Her breath hitched at the sleepy, huskiness of his voice. She’d be lying if she said it didn’t send a shiver down her spine. 

“Morning.” She responded, quietly, subconsciously wondering whether he felt the same way about her morning voice “Did you sleep well?” Draco paused for a moment before looping his arms around her waist and pulling her close to him, humming contently as he did so. 

“I slept perfectly, love.” He admitted, holding her to his chest, allowing one hand to snake up her back and tangle into her long mess of curls. “Did you?” 

“Amazingly well,” Hermione replied sweetly, trying to ignore the way her heart seemed to jump into her mouth the moment he called her love. “I wish we could stay like this forever.” She added as an afterthought, almost immediately regretting it as the atmosphere shifted around them.

“Me too,” Draco mumbled, barely a whisper, cuddling almost impossibly closer. “But, just one more day.” Hermione bit her lip, doing her best to ignore the apprehension in his voice and pulled back slightly before speaking again.

“One more day.” She repeated, chanting the words over and over again in her head subconsciously. There was silence, for just a moment, a melancholy mood settling between them. It was deafening, almost too much for Hermione to bear and so she found herself leaning forward, pressing their lips together hard with the hope of restoring the room to its previous peaceful state. Draco responded by almost immediately deepening the kiss, holding her so tight it was as though he was afraid to let go. It was passionate, heated, almost too intense but she couldn’t bring herself to pull away, melting into Draco’s arms, mimicking the level of desperation he seemed to be conveying. They kissed like this until they were breathless, panting into one another’s mouths, faces flushed, eyes wide, still clinging to one another. For a moment there was silence again, Draco’s forehead resting against Hermione’s, looking into her eyes as though searching for something.

“I love you.” He breathed, as though it was the simplest thing ever. 

“What?” Hermione squeaked, eyes widening to a comical level. He smirked, kissing her on the nose tenderly.

“I love you.” He repeated, still sounding almost painfully matter of fact. Hermione swallowed, hard, blinking a few times. 

“Oh.” She whispered, biting her lip between her teeth before falling quiet. She remained quiet for a few moments before she startled, realising that she hadn’t actually responded. “Oh, oh fuck, I love you too.” She babbled, panicking, face flushing furiously as Draco laughed at her reaction. When she showed no sign of calming down, still apologising furiously, he pressed their lips together again and kissed her until she calmed down. Eventually, she relaxed in his arms, kissing back slightly hesitantly. 

“It’s going to be ok, ‘Mione.” He whispered as he pulled away, pushing her hair out of her face and meeting her eyes again. She nodded slowly, resting her forehead against his once again. 

“Draco?” She asked, nervous despite herself. 

“Mmm?” 

“Make love to me, please? Just in case things aren’t ok?”


	5. Epiphany (Epilogue)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi,
> 
> I hope you enjoy this final instalment, as always your feedback is incredibly appreciated. I can't believe that this is over, I feel like I've been writing it for ages and I really appreciate everyone who has stuck by me. 
> 
> All the love

Escaping the battle had been the easy part. 

Persuading the Order of the Phoenix to accept Draco had been much more of a challenge, even with Dumbledore’s memories as evidence. They were shunned almost immediately, reminded of the fact that memories could be changed and denied the opportunity to prove themselves. It had been horrible, at first, particularly for Hermione. Draco had expected this and, had never had approval from the Order in the first place. Hermione, on the other hand, had been overly optimistic and, her new status as a potential traitor was quite a significant fall from grace. Still, they had made it out alive and they had made it out with one another. Hermione had quickly reminded herself that that was all that truly mattered and, from that point onward her mood had lifted. It had taken a few months but, eventually, the Order did stop regarding them with such heightened suspicion. The fact that no Death Eaters had stormed their safe house was evidence enough that neither Hermione nor Draco had exposed their location to outside sources. 

As a result, they were gradually given access to more and more information. 

Unfortunately, although it was nice to no longer be kept completely in the dark, the small tidbits they were fed did little to settle their growing anxieties. The world was changing, rapidly and it was becoming increasingly more obvious that neither of their families were safe. According to sources at the ministry, Draco’s father had been taken out of Azkaban by the Minister of Magic himself and, although no one could verify anything it was assumed by most that he had been delivered to Voldemort himself. Draco had always known that Voldemort was likely to hold his father accountable for his desertion but, what unsettled him most was the fact his mother hadn’t been seen since Dumbledore’s death. He hadn’t thought her to be at risk, hoping Voldemort’s anger towards his father would guarantee her safety. He’d thought wrong. Hermione, on the other hand, knew fine well that both her parents were likely targets. The Death Eaters still considered her one of Harry’s closest friends and, as they were undeniably linked to her, it wasn’t far fetched to assume they would at some point be attacked. If the radio was to be believed muggles and muggle-borns alike were dying at an alarmingly rapid rate in what the muggle authorities considered to be suspicious circumstances. 

It didn’t take a genius to know that a muggle found dead, unscathed, with no obvious cause of death had likely been the target of the killing curse. 

But, despite the fact they were no longer actively suspected of being informants no one in the Order was willing to let them go to or contact their families. Draco understood their attitude towards him attempting to reach his mother. To get to her he would have to return to the manor and, the chances of him being caught, tortured for information or subjected to occlumency at the hands of Voldemort were too high for that to ever be a conceivable option. It was their position towards Hermione that made no sense. It didn’t seem to matter how many times they were reminded that her parents had no means of protecting themselves or attacking the order). There was always some excuse, some trivial reason that Hermione was expected to accept as negating the vulnerable position of her family. Even her attempts to get someone else, a trusted Order member to go to them, to wipe their memories clean or even just send them a warning letter fell on deaf ears. And, although Draco could see that she was trying to be strong, he could also see that Hermione’s faith and hope were fading dramatically. She withdrew in on herself as if she was afraid to live while her parents' fate was uncertain. For a while, Draco tolerated what was going on, unable to intervene for fear of being kept in the dark again but he soon grew weary of just watching as she slipped away. The final straw came when he found her hunched over the ancient radio that constantly played in the kitchen, eyes heavy with sleep but doing her best to focus on the broadcast. It took him a few moments to realise what the broadcast was, a list of every muggle or muggle-born who was suspected to have died at the hands of the Death Eaters that day. The way she’d sat up straighter when the presented reached the ‘G’s’ of his alphabetised list had sickened him to his core. Before he knew what he was doing he had marched into one of the other meeting rooms, interrupting a more classified discussion. 

“Malfoy, get out.” Ron snapped almost the minute he crossed the threshold, barely even looking up from the table. Draco scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest and planting his feet firmly.

“I’m not leaving until one of you sorry fucks agrees to either take Hermione to see her parents or contact them yourselves.” He snapped, glancing around the room. 

“You’re in no position to make demands.” This time it was Remus Lupin who spoke up. The warning was so obvious in his words but again Draco simply scoffed, shaking his head and smiling slightly.

“Hermione is currently sat in the kitchen, barely able to keep her eyes open, listening to a radio broadcast that is naming every single muggle or muggle-born who was either killed by a death eater or died suspiciously today.” He spat out, barely able to control his rage. “You fucks won’t even check on her family, let alone let her contact them and so her only option is to sit and listen for their names on a morbid as fuck radio programme. You’ve turned your backs on her, why? Because she got in a relationship? Because she found someone? Fucking Dumbledore knew about us and supported us, protected us, but you’re ok with leaving her innocent family exposed to what? To teach her a lesson? That’s so beyond fucked. The lot of you think you’re so moral, the definition of light and good but leaving her family, who have no means of protecting themselves, so vulnerable makes you just as bad as the death eaters that will probably fucking kill them.” His chest was heaving by the time he finished speaking and, he could have sworn he felt his magic crackling through his fingertips despite the fact he wasn’t holding his wand. 

“How da-“ Ron spoke, rising from his seat, red in the face but he stopped when Draco turned his full attention to him.

“And you! Not only did you break her heart, not only did you turn all of her friends against her despite knowing fine well that it was you at fault, not her, but you also stalked her for months. You followed her around the castle because you couldn’t stand that she was happy and, when you found out what was making her happy you were content to expose her, knowing fine well it could put her life at risk. ” Draco all but roared, not even giving him the chance to speak. “The lot of you turned your backs on her because of what? Because of a spell, she cast when she was humiliated and heartbroken? And, you think that justifies watching as her innocent family die?” 

“Draco.” Harry stood, interrupting his rant, tone unreadable. He hadn’t gone red in the face like Ron and he wasn’t openly glaring like Lupin either. “She betrayed us.” He sounded nothing short of exasperated, something that only riled Draco up further. What right did he have to sound so exhauster?

“No, you betrayed her.” Draco snapped, cutting the man off before he could continue. “Do you think she’s stupid enough to put her heart over the safety of her friends and family, the people that she loved first? She would have rejected me in a heartbeat if she thought I was any risk to any of you, that's a fact. You’re so blinded by your sense of righteousness that when Death Eaters get to her family you’re going to be complicit in their deaths. One of you is going to take her to see them and help her get them to safety. And if you don’t I’ll make damn sure to tell everyone who will fucking listen about what you all did. I may not have a reputation and I may be the son of a death eater with his mark branded into my skin but I’ll make sure everyone knows that you all turned your backs on vulnerable people that you knew you could save. I’ll make sure they know that you sat and smirked to yourselves while Hermione listened for her parents' names on that fucking radio and that you may as well have cast the curses yourself.” 

And, with that, Draco turned on his heel and left the room almost as quickly as he had entered it, making a beeline for the kitchen where he had left Hermione. To his relief she had fallen asleep, the radio still playing. Her peaceful state and the fact she’d allowed herself to rest was enough to confirm that, for now, her family were safe. He smiled to himself as he tucked her hair out of her face and picked her up as gently as he could manage, carrying her easily to their shared bathroom. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to seeing her like this, vulnerable in her state of sleep, free from all of her worries. There was something about how calm she looked that soothed his restless soul, allowing him the luxury of a good nights sleep for the first time in a while

— — — — 

Everyone had fallen into the same trap as the war raged on. 

They had all got caught up in imagining what life would be like if they managed to win. At the time it had been necessary. Daydreaming of better times helped them keep their hope, gave them something to focus on fighting for but, of course, expectations are often much greater than reality. After the war, after the initial partying and celebrating subsided, things had been hard. Almost harder than the actual fighting as no one was prepared to keep on struggling. Although the victory had spared the muggle world from the worst of Voldemort’s wrath, the wizardring world was close to crippled, coming to a dramatic standstill as everyone tried to pick up the pieces. Hermione and Draco had tried to withstand it, tried to keep themselves going as they helped with the cleanup process, worked tirelessly to reunite families and trace down any undocumented victims. But, eventually, both of them had had enough. They may have won the war but somehow that hadn’t stopped each day feeling like a battle. With little to no discussion, they’d agreed to leave the spotlight of the wizardring world, slipping away into muggle London. At first, their only goal had been to find somewhere, anywhere that would allow them to properly rest but, almost as soon as they’d caught their breath, they’d both grown restless. The muggle world made Hermione homesick, nostalgic, forcing her to confront the fact she’d sent her parents away. To say she’d struggled was an understatement and, not wanting his girlfriend to suffer more than she already had, it hadn’t taken long for Draco to suggest they go looking for her family. 

It was then that Draco had learnt that Hermione had always intended on finding her parents again. Before erasing herself from their lives she’d painstakingly extracted as many of their memories as she could, filling a pensieve with everything she then caused them to forget. She’d kept this fact closely guarded, secret even from Draco, not wanting to risk her whole endeavour being for nothing. Draco would be lying if he said he wasn’t impressed by her foresight. But then, Hermione never stopped impressing him. Hermione had been but a shell of her usual self that day, barely able to concentrate on getting dressed. He wasn’t sure how she’d managed to so carefully duplicate what she then went on to erase, given how emotional he knew the whole process had been for her. Not to mention, how difficult the magic involved was. Further, in another testament to her incredible strength, Hermione explained how she had intended to wait for Draco to settle after the battle before bringing her plan to his attention. She hadn’t wanted to overwhelm him so soon. Had wanted to allow him to overcome the trauma associated with losing almost everyone he had once loved, whilst living under constant suspicion and scrutiny. Draco had fought the urge to laugh when she told him this, pulling her as close to his chest as he physically could and kissing the top of her head.

“‘Mione, I’d apparate to Australia with you right this moment if you wanted me to.” He’d whispered, running his hand through her unruly curls. “What calms you, what makes you happy, makes me happy. Nothing is tying me to London other than you.” They’d made love for the first time since the battle that night. Finally allowing their bruised bodies to feel pleasure, something the horrors of war had turned them away from for all too long. Before they fell asleep, giddy with a kind of happiness neither of them had felt in what felt like years, they’d booked their flights for the next day. There was nothing to hold them back, no reason for them to stay in London any longer. A spontaneous flight to Australia was nothing compared to their abrupt departure from the wizardring world.

The journey had been hard. 

The flight was long, uncomfortable and tedious with a layover period that seemed to go on forever. Additionally, they had no way of determining where they needed to go once in Australia in advance. Hermione hadn’t exactly given her parents an exact destination when she magically placed the idea of relocation in their minds. Although she was confident that, once they landed, she’d be able to trace her magical signature, using that as a means to track her parents down, that wasn’t the sort of thing she could do from another country. Much less another continent. No matter how well prepared she was there was a chance that their journey would be for nothing. The uncertainty had been unnerving, filling the pair with a kind of anxiety that they knew all too well. The kind of anxiety they were desperately escaping.

The novelty of travelling via muggle airplane had done little to soothe Draco’s restless mind.

Thankfully, for once, luck seemed to be on their side. Perhaps as a result of the complexity of the magic, Hermione’s spell still had a strong trace, a magical signature that was easily detected and even easier to follow. It helped that her parents hadn’t strayed far from the city. Draco was more than a little relieved that they hadn’t had to navigate the Australian bush to find the couple. Of course, once they found her parents they hadn’t exactly been able to immediately announce their presence. Both of them had a sneaking suspicion that Hermione’s parents might not have responded positively to her appearing out of nowhere and insisting she was their child. They’d waited until night fell, waited until they were sure the couple were alone before making their move. There hadn’t been a great deal of strategy behind their actions. In fact, they’d simply snuck into the couples home and dumped their saved memories on them whilst they slept. It was a risky, given that neither of them were exactly memory experts. From their research they’d determined that there was a small chance that someone whose memory had been erased would reject their old memories if accepting them would be too overwhelming. Given that their old memories involved having a witch for a daughter this rejection was a very real possibility. Draco had never felt as great a relief as he did watching Hermione’s parents hug her as if nothing had happened and no time had passed. It had been a beautiful thing for Draco to watch and, although he wouldn’t admit it out loud, he had shed a couple of tears as he watched Hermione, truly happy, for the first time in ages. At first, he’d been concerned that he was intruding, an outsider looking in, but Hermione’s tight grip on his hand and the way her parents immediately took to calling him son had reassured him. Although Hermione and Draco were heavily jet-lagged and, having to remember the existence of a whole person had exhausted Hermione’s parents, they didn’t sleep a wink that first night.

The next morning, while Hermione showered, Draco sought permission from both of her parents to propose. Her dad cried and her mum reminded him that she’d taught Hermione how to punch but ultimately they were all too happy to welcome him into the family.  
  



End file.
